PENDRAGON

. If you are a Pendragon fan then this is essential as not only is the packaging some of the best I have seen, but it also contains a video clip and two acoustic numbers ("The King Of The Castle" and "Paintbox") which have been recorded solely for this compilation. This is a great introduction to the band a CD that anyone who enjoys Floyd style prog can purchase with extreme confidence.

Originally appeared in Feedback #58

In September 2012, Pendragon released their latest DVD featuring a concert performed in Poland in April 2011. The DVD, which is of course listed separately on this site, captured the band's performance superbly. While the DVD format has the benefit of offering both sight and sound, there remain issues with portability, especially in terms of the music.

Metal Mind Productions have therefore taken the logical step of releasing a companion double CD of the concert, the discs being housed in an impressive digipak fold out sleeve with accompanying booklet.

Even without 'Freakshow', (presumably omitted from the CD for reasons of space) we have well over 2 hours of music here. The tracks are drawn from right across the band's catalogue including songs from "The world", "Window of Life", "The masquerade overture", "Not of this world", 'Pure", and "Passion". Highlights include the 16 minute 'Not of this world and 17 minute 'Comotose' which appear back to back. It is also good to see the classic 'Paintbox' getting a dusting down.

Those who already have the DVD will be well aware of the consistent excellence of the performances and the recordings here. This 2 disc set offers an ideal way to hear the tracks where and when you choose. It also represents a magnificent live album in its own right.

In fact, basically every track is an improvement over their studio counterparts. I tend to believe this has something to do with the new musicians manning the drums (Fudge Smith replacing Nigel Harris) and keyboards (Clive Nolan replacing Rik Carter). While "The Jewel" often seemed a bit stiff, even brittle, the tracks as presented here have much more life, energy and raw power behind them while maintaining a high level of craftsmanship, and I think Messers Smith and Nolan likely have a great deal to do with that. "Leviathan" sounds great, "Circus" is a minor classic, and what I consider to be the ultimate version of probably one of Pendragon's ten best songs, the epic "Black Knight", appears here.

So why only four stars? For one thing, "Red Shoes". Nick Barrett has admitted that most fans seem to hate that song (though he says he also sees everyone dancing to it when they perform live - more evidence that what works well in a concert setting may not work as well as a listening experience, I guess), and frankly I sympathize with them. It's just a banal, boring blob of trite musical cliches which I always skip. And for another, the sound quality. The live portion is actually fairly passable in sound, but the three studio songs sound flat as paper - a real tragedy, especially on the beautiful "Dark Summer's Day", another minor masterpiece which makes me sadly recall my father's passing on a beautiful early September day (and I know this is probably not at all what the song is about, but for the listener music is just as much what you get out of it, what feelings you attach to it, as it is about what the musicians themselves were trying to say. That was my "Dark Summer's Day").

So, all things taken into account - a great album. I regularly throw it into whatever CD player I happen to be nearest too. Take out that one truly horrid track and I might even be inspired to give five stars even with the sonic limitations. But the two together are a bit too much to overcome. Recommended nonetheless.

And, unfortunately, Pendragon's "The Window of Life" also fits this bill. "The World" is a great album. "Masquerade Overture" is a fantastic album. TWoL tries to use many of the same elements that made those two albums so enjoyable, but it just doesn't work. I can point something of a finger at what I believe is the album's shortcoming - a lack of memorable material. I will even be so heretical as to say that about the only memorable thing on here for me is "Nostradamus (Stargazing)", which many would probably call a poppish U2 knockoff. Yeah, but it's catchy, at least. "Am I Really Losing You?" tries too hard at the end with the slightly whiny guitar outro, but that at least sticks somewhat too. And there's a nice rippling keyboard solo in the middle of "The Last Man on Earth". Other than that? I've listened to the album maybe two dozen times, and nothing at all stands out.

They tried a similar formula to what was on the surrounding albums, but the substance simply wasn't there on this one. I don't want to dislike any album or rate it lowly - I'm a music fan, not a critic, so I want enjoyment. And I don't like criticizing what was obviously an honest effort by Nick Barrett and company. But this album simply doesn't work for me. And that makes me sad, honestly, because the material around it was so uniformly great. Two stars.

Pendragon's sound has changed over the years as the band has matured, but it is to 'Kowtow', 'The World' , 'The Window Of Life' and 'The Masquerade Overture' that I turn to time and again of all of their releases. The use of sax by guest Julian Siegel on a couple of numbers adds a depth and Dire Straits feel, while opening number "Saved By You" is a bouncy singalong. "Solid Heart" was often used as a set closer, with the band walking off one by one until just Fudge is left, and to me it typifies Pendragon in concert. It is an album that always makes me smile, it is fun from start to finish, and is simply put one of the best UK prog albums from the Eighties.

This reissue comes in a slip sleeve with a nice booklet, and three additional songs that were recorded as demoes by Peter and Nick. Both "The Mask" and "I Walk The Rope" were re- recorded fro the album proper so it is interesting to see how these compare. Great to see this album available again, and a nice resissue from Madfish. www.pendragon.mu

The show contains a lot of songs from the two latests cd's, which show the band incorporated some heavy parts, more obvious in these songs ; "Comatose", "Freakshow" and "Empathy", the latter has even a rap section. "Feeding Frenzzy" tell it all, it's really frenzy! The Passion's CD have been written to fit the new dynamic style of the drummer Scott Higham. The standout track is at the first encore ; "Indigo" who reminds us of the band Arena and Pink Floyd for the Gilmour guitar style of Nick Barrett.

I hope that the band will continue into this direction, because their sound was becoming too polished, and repetitive. It was time to bring some chaos in their music. The Blu-Ray contains also a interview with Nick and a documentary of 45 minutes that it's worth watching one time with Nick behind the camera.

Having recorded what is arguably the definitive prog concert DVD in Poland in 2008, Pendragon returned to the Wyspiański Theater in Katowice in April 2011 with a completely revised set-list. The results are captured on this magnificent document of the event, available this time on either DVD or Blu-ray disc (a first for Pendragon).

Once again, the concert runs for over 2½ hours, and again the songs are drawn from right across the band's catalogue. The principal early albums featured are "The world" (3 songs) and "Window of Life" (3 songs) with "The masquerade overture" (1 song) and "Not of this world" (2 songs) also chipping in. None of the songs here, including those from from the recent album "Pure", was performed on "Concerto Maximo" plus we have four selections from the latest album "Passion".

Where "Concerto Maximo" emphasised the symphonic and melodic side of the band, "Out of order comes chaos" is a bit heavier and a bit darker, the stage and backdrop videos being suitably slanted that way. It is all relative of course, and the magnificent kaleidoscope of sounds on which the band thrive remain the over-riding theme once again.

The line up remains unchanged from 2008, with drummer Scott Higham now well established not just in his role, but as a key character in the band. He adds some fine backing vocals to several tracks too. The audience seem more up for it this time around, perhaps driven on by Nick Barrett's infectious exuberance. The band's performance is exemplary throughout, Clive Nolan's magnificent keyboard layers and solos being supported by a powerful and enthusiastic rhythm section. Barrett's lead guitar is as distinctive as ever, and it is interesting to hear him talking later about what he himself sees as his unorthodox (in rock terms) vocals.

Once again, Metal Mind productions expertise in recording such events transforms the audio and video recording, with multiple cameras and high quality sound capture (both 2.0 and 5.1 surround are included) resulting in yet another sublime product.

The extras include an interesting interview with Nick Barrett and a couple of behind the scenes hand held camera productions (one filmed by Nick) which convey both the highs and the drudgery of long distance touring. It is good to see Nick's partner Wilcey getting a mention too, her constant efforts on the band's behalf often being transparent to the masses. A nice touch too is the tribute, both during the concert and in the extras, to the founder of Metal Mind Productions Tomasz Dziubiński, who passed away in December 2010, and who had played a major part in the recent history of Pendragon.

Those who already have the wonderful "Concerto Maximo" DVD will find that this set complements that one perfectly. Those whose collection is devoid of Pendragon DVDs, and especially those who have never seen the band live, would be well advised to invest in both sets.

"If I Were The Wind (And You Were The Rain)" opens with a spacey atmosphere as the guitar comes in. A beat 1 1/2 minutes in then the guitar starts to solo. Beautiful. Vocals 3 minutes in. I'm smiling 4 minutes in with that classic PENDRAGON sound. Piano only after 6 1/2 minutes then atmosphere and reserved vocals join in to end it. "Dance Of The Seven Veils Part 1- Faithless" features atmosphere, keys, sparse guitar and bass. Reserved vocals join in. It kicks into gear at 3 1/2 minutes with guitar and more. It blends into "Dance Of The Seven Veils Part 2 - All Over Now" where it picks up fairly quickly. It settles before 1 1/2 minutes and laid back vocals join in. Guitar after 3 minutes as it picks back up before settling again late. "Not Of This World Part 1- Not Of This World" hits the ground running and the guitar starts to solo over top. Nice bass after 2 minutes. Vocals 4 minutes in as it settles some. A calm after 6 minutes. It blends into "Not Of This World Part 2- Give It To Me" picks up fairly quickly.

"Not Of This World Part 3- Green Eyed Angel" is a laid back and atmospheric tune with reserved vocals. Nice guitar solo 4 1/2 minutes in. "A Man Of Nomadic Traits" opens with acoustic guitar and atmosphere. Bass and drums join in then laid back vocals. It picks up with synths and more passionate vocals. A calm 3 minutes in with acoustic guitar then we get a powerful instrumental section until around 10 1/2 minutes. "World's End Part 1- The Lost Children" opens with atmosphere and acoustic guitar as almost spoken vocals come in. Some passion 4 minutes in. It picks up with a beat and synths after 8 minutes then the vocals return. "World's End Part 2- And Finally..." opens with piano only but this closing track does build some.

Certainly an emotional album given the subject matter and i've heard it's helped others who have gone through a divorce.

Here Pendragon offer some of their longest and most elaborate compositions, developing from deeply emotional moments to dramatic instrumental passages with both Nolan and Barrett being in a fantastic shape.The ability of the band to create pure progressive soundscapes with a very rich sound and blend them with softer and warm atmospheres, highlighted by piano and Barrett's vocals, remain the absolute trademark of the band.Pendragon continue to mix the fantastic keyboard/synth instrumentals of IQ and MARILLION with the soaring guitar solos of PINK FLOYD and the result is pure delight.Symphonic grandieur with organs and synths on the forefront, catchy and thrilling choruses, dreamy music pieces and a very steady rhythm section along with a crystal-clear production guarantee a fantastic listening.Not to mention that the composing skills of Pendragon might have reached their peak with this album, a great balance between atmosphere, melody and demanding instrumental music.

The bonus tracks feature different versions of known tracks or unreleased material, again this has no less better quality than the original album, containing all of Pendragon's trademark ingredients.

The album has seen several reissues through the years with different or even no bonus material, but be sure to get one of these issues, as the 7 original tracks are sure to leave you more than satisfied.Highly recommended, especially if you are a fan of PINK FLOYD and Neo/Symphonic Progressive Rock.Definitely a classic of its time...4.5 stars.

Whereas before PENDRAGON aimed for extended arrangements and running times for their own sake, on "Believe" the songs and indeed the concept are only as long as they need to be. Whereas before PENDRAGON put up walls of sound between the essence of their pieces and their audience, "Believe" steps back and permits that essence to flow forth from groove to ear. Whereas before PENDRAGON was a typical neo prog group with inconsistent and infrequent flashes of distinction, "Believe" marks their transformation into a confident modern progressive group with a few influences that pre-date the 60s and 70s, and that emanate from beyond the stiff upper lip of the UK. I could go on, but at this point I think you get the picture.

All the tracks here merge together in sequence better than apart or shuffled, so this is a remarkably complete and well compiled effort with a concept that doesn't require a double PHD but also doesn't insult. Many of the tracks have spoken and chanted parts that span cultural and temporal influences. Acoustic guitar is more prominent than usual. The main act is the 4 part "The Wishing Well", with the anthemic and heartfelt "Sou by Southwest" being the obvious highlight. Still, "We Talked" shows a harder edged facet of the group for one of the first times, and with remarkable success, and "Two Roads" settles us down well as the suite closer.

Everything else is...gasp..at least good and mostly very good. The rock and roll of "No Place for the Innocent" and the wistfulness of "Edge of the World" are both convincing, while the closing few minutes of "Learning Curve" surely inspired the polish neo groups SATELLITE and BELIEVE, and possibly even the name of the latter!

I'm going to go out on a limb here. There is often something missing in neo prog that makes it hard to consider albums as 5 star classics other than occasionally from a historical perspective. To some extent that intangible is also lacking in "Believe", but, on the flipside, it quite surpasses much of its ilk in terms of folk, world, and even experimental leanings, production, and consistency of vision. I reserve the right to re-visit should my faith be challenged, but at least for now I am about devout. 4.5 stars rounded up.