THE GHOST

Having read 3*** reviews on this record forced me to join 'Progarchives' as a member, just attempting to show another view on this extrordinary and amazing album. Among the greatest ever recorded albums to my point of view. - Great lyrics, great songwriting, great instrumentals, great musicianship, Paul Eastments voice is as good as the one of Shirley Kent, even if in other terms. - 'Indian Maid', 'When you're dead', 'Hearts and flowers' in the top category of songs from this album, if there should be at all any to choose among this very high standard of music. Hasn't to do so much with West Coast or simply Progressive or Folk, being something quite special, extra, unique - as Fresh Maggots or Tea & Symphony, but as these in its very own, original and individual sense. 'Top early 70s British Progressive Music' maybe the best fitting category. Could deserve 6 stars - if this rating would exist. Similar to 'Velvett Fogg' (a former group of Paul Eastment) - another aspirant for hypothetical 6 stars, but 'The Ghost' I estimate even higher ... - I know this sounds much enthusiastic, but there would be only about 10 records that I'd appreciate so high me being a listener to Prog music for over 30 years ......

The most noticeable thing from this record is the omnipresence of psychedelic organ. The rock and hard rock dimensions are also really present, as reveal the numerous visceral electric guitar solos. The nervous lead & backing vocals are borderline hysterical, a typical characteristic of those early seventies. The male lead singer has a slightly irritating permanent tremolo in his voice. The female lead singer, Shirley Kent, amazingly sounds like Annie Lennox of Eurythmics. The tracks, despite some rhythm changes, are moderately progressive. The tracks are not really catchy and memorable, so that this record, although quite good, sounds a bit deja vu: maybe an addition of one or two less usual instruments would have created more originality. Nevertheless, this music is above average considering the release date: 1970.

Rating: 3.5 stars

I’d like to say that this is one of those hidden gems from the early progressive music days that have finally surfaced on an off-label prog CD reissue. But that would be only half true. This is available on CD (Wahalla), but I can’t say this is a hidden masterpiece or anything. It is a decent enough album, but there’s not really anything to make it stand out from any number of other similar and just as forgotten bands from the same era.

The nucleus of The Ghost formed around former Velvet Fogg guitarist Paul Eastment, accompanied by multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Shirley Kent who would go on to a solo career as a British folk and jazz singer. I have one of her solo jazz albums from just a few years ago and can testify that she is the real-deal as far as being a professional and talented musician.

But this is from the very early days. This is a pleasant album to listen to, but it is remarkably uneven, especially the first half of the tracks. “Hearts and Flowers” and “Time is My Enemy” have an almost Fairport Convention kind of thing going on for example, including the very dated but pleasant hippie-harmonizing vocals of Kent and Eastment. But “When You’re Dead” and “In Heaven” are fully developed and guitar- driven psychedelic works in the finest tradition of The United States of America, Jefferson Airplane, and all the rest of the west-coast flower-power kids. So it seems like the band is really trying to find a sound that works for them, rather than taking a sound and direction they already shared and trying to develop it. Just seems a bit contrived, which I suppose it was.

By the second half of the album the band settles into a very folk-influenced sound with farfisa organ, simple vocal harmonies, acoustic guitar, and tambourine. I loved this kind of music back when I was a little kid, but it hasn’t aged all that well with time, much like many of the old earth-mom types from that era. Most of them are either dead, or feeble and slightly shell-shocked today. That was a fascinating time to be alive, but survival comes through adaptation, and this stuff didn’t survive for a reason. That said, “Indian Maid” has some nice psychedelic guitar on it (I believe this was also the band’s only single); “The Storm” is the best showcase of Kent’s very Grace Slick-like vocals; and “For One Second” showcases how well the farfisa could complement psychedelic guitar in the hands of capable musicians.

But that’s about it. The rest of the album is pretty forgettable stuff, and a couple tracks are just plain weak and boring. I won’t point out which ones because it would be disrespectful of the work as a whole and there’s no point. In all this is a little better than collectors-only, not quite really good. But three stars is okay, with a disclaimer that if you don’t have a taste for dated-sounding psychedelic and/or late 60’s west- coast American folk, you probably won’t like this one much.

peace

This is one of those albums where the one mistake costs nearly the whole of the record to fall into the mildly entertaining/laughable category. That mistake is that former Velvet Fog guitarist Paul Eastment was a brilliant guitar player, but a truly awful and obnoxious singer. The progressive tinged folk tracks where Shirley Kent sings lead are excellent examples of post Fairport dark folky progressive, with the unrepresentatively upbeat "Hearts and Flowers" the best. The tracks that utilize harmonies are interesting if somewhat derivative, but with over half of the album handed over to Eastment everything becomes a joke. His guitar style might be called unique and brilliant, but his voice is the worst of Rob Halford, King Diamond, and David Coverdale all rammed down your throat. On "For One Second" he is particularly annoying, and the great music is ruined completely by screaming vocals at the end. "Night Of The Warlock" features more screaming quavering unintentional hilarity, and the band's attempt to market themselves as a folky Black Sabbath who actually did worship the devil is very unwise. Even with some good tracks on this album the self righteousness of the Jefferson Airplane comes into play too often along with a directionless brew of everything they could think of to be "offensive." Here is the biggest mistake. Why would a band want to make you believe they are horrible people? Who made them this angry? Even though I get even angrier and more depressed on a regular basis than this album I can't understand why anyone would purposefully make something hard to listen to. Some songs here are good, very good, but unfortunately the bad tracks are terrible. However, if you want to hear an interesting relic of early 70s occult folkrock get a reissue and see what you think. I find The Ghost to be "lost." When something goes right at least 3 things are bound to go wrong and those three things are (A) Paul Eastment is a horrible singer (B) A lack of direction (C) really, really pompous lyrics that are badly dated. If Shirley Kent had sung more tracks or if the majority of the album was like the great "My Castle Has Fallen" and "Too Late To Cry" this would be a rave write up, instead all I can say is this is alright for a few spins and then forget it. The organ sound and guitar sound are another mystery, why such an interesting instrumental approach has to be thrown out the window for bad vocals and lyrics is beyond me. This album isn't bad, but it's only a lukewarm good that isn't worth keeping.

Not to be confused with the new Japanese band this Birmingham collective recorded their only album in 1970, which displays a lot of influences. West Coast US acid rock, early progressive music and folk all rub shoulders on this polished album, originals of which are now highly sought after by collectors. Great Airplane like male/female vocals..