PENDRAGON

So instead of dark, I feel more of playful melodies (except melancholic Paintbox of course) and different kind of synths, maybe even altered guitar solos. It's different, that's for sure. There's even Irish sound-like The Pursuit of Excellence and very, very optimistic and uplifting epic Guardian of My Soul, which can really improve your mood. But something is not right here. Of course, there's a trademark Pendragon sound and atmosphere, but it works with less intensity, than "...of This...", simply - I don't like this one so much. I like the fact that there's again some kind of story, not so interesting for me than "Not...", but it's here for those who can understand it. Also, third in a row of magical covers.

4(-) for decent Pendragon album, which means that it's almost masterpiece in terms of prog. But not

What you will be getting with Masquerade Overture is something that you've probably heard before. What we have here is excellent, well played theatrical music, with excellent playing by all members of the bands and great singing. But one cannot listen to this album and be unaware of their influences. Some of the songs clearly make me think of '80s Marillion ... and I've only heard Misplaced Childhood so far. At the end of the third track, I expected to hear Fish singing "And the man in the mirror has sad eyes", it was so reminiscent. Another part that sounds like a kickback is the end of the last song, Masters of Illusion. The female backing vocals sound extremely similar to those used by Pink Floyd.

Alright, so I have explained why I don't consider this album an 'addition' as much as an 'addendum'. So what makes it excellent? The song quality here is very high. Ranging from outright operatic (The Masquerade Overture) to epic (Masters of Illusion), the album never really has a dull moment. My personal favorites would be Paintbox, Guardian of my Soul, and Masters of Illusion, each which manages to effectively convey the intended emotions in a catchy manner.

If you are looking for a four star album to spend your hard earned cash on, this could still be the album for you if you love album art. This album is a stunning joy to look at, and from what I've seen, most of Pendragon's albums are. The cover could be almost considered Progressive Album Art, for each time I look at it, I notice some detail or tidbit that I missed in previous examinations (which is one of my favorite features of prog rock).

As a final note, I got the edition with The Last Man On Earth (Live) as a bonus track, and now I know I need to pick up the Window of Life as well. I imagine it would be rated similarly.

Normally Prog bands have a long live (If they don't split because of their own ego), but usually they reach the peak soon and live of past glories, presenting excellent concerts with several changes in the lineup because clue members leave in pursue of a solo career.

This is not the case of PENGRAGON, since their second album they had a stable lineup, in 1996 (Something unusual with Clive Nolan working in so many bands and personal projects) they reach their peak with "Masquerade Overture" and when I believed everything was downhill, they kept the quality for 18 years more. In 2006 they release the good but uneven "Believe" and the next year their iconic drummer "Fudge Smith" leaves.

Again I thought the story was over, but they surprised in 2008 with the outstanding "Pure" and in 2009 with their definitive live album "Concerto Maximo", recorded in Poland for their 30 Anniversary.

Won't talk about the DVD, because it deserves a separate review, I'm here to write about the double CD. So let's start with the quality saying it's flawless, the selection of tracks has been done with care, presenting a balanced set with no weeks moments and representing their long and fertile career.

But the most important issue on a live album is the performance, incredibly this guys sound better as the years go by, Nick's voice is as peculiar as always, (you like it or not), but his guitar is simply impeccable, he has gained strength and accuracy, the best example of this can be found at "Masters of Illusion".

Clive Nolan makes one of his usual displays of quality with incredible solos and team work, being his best moments in the frenetic solo of "A Man with Nomadic Train", in which he plays in the best style of Rick Wakeman but with a modern sound, and of course the delicate Mellotron "A la Genesis" in the sweet and delightful "The King of the Castle".

Peter Gee, is strong and accurate, his best moment is in the closer "Queen of Hearts", but more important than his personal achievements is the interplay with the surprising "Scott Higham", who doesn't sound like the new kid in a band that has played for 3 decades, the guy is precise and extremely loud, what enhances the listening experience, the rhythm section works as if they had been together for decades and not only for a couple of years.

Not much more to say aboutt he tracks, because all are well known and reviewed repeatedly on the studio albums, so will go directly with the rating that has to be not lower than 4 stars.

If PENDRAGON keeps in this level, I'm sure we will listen from them for a long time, and this are good news.

3(-), songs are rather calm. Not that I can't stand hearing Pendragon like that, but I don't think their songs are suitable for this version. There are many better. Listenable, but Pendragon fan will lack a lot. Maybe unfair, but it's sad truth.

Wonderful cover art, in fact, this was first Pendragon album I get myself to, so I can't compare. Even now, this is everything I need (for now), no need to explore more, because on this album, there are Ideas, hidden thing which will appear after numerous listening, one after another. As I know now, these covers are typical for Pend. (isn't this name something from Arthur legend ? I'm not so skilled in it - yes, it is, father of King Arthur), but this one is somewhat important for me. My dear girlfriend was kissed by muse one night and drawn me and her in style of this picture, on a meadow like scenery, sitting and looking to the sun. Funny thing is that most of music I listen regularly is connected with certain game, during which I listen this music. When listening to NoTW, I imagine myself playing San Andreas (Las Venturas, hotel with pirate ship, trying to take down as much pedestrians as possible, while shooting on helicopters with M16. There is natural cover, something like fence from brick wall, which separates sidewalk from my position. Well, bullets and Pendragon, what a combination). Weird, but true (I mean strange, but true, as is sung in lyrics)

In my 130 reviews history, I had to admit few times for certain thing. That I was listening one track over and over again, until I was satisfied by it. And that would be All Over Now part. Even I am not used to like this kind of keyboards, Arena and Pendragon are exceptions, there I like it. Probably some kind of connection here. So let's start with If I Were the Wind. Sounds is typical for neo prog, I'm not afraid to call it archetypal for this genre, with one exception, acoustic guitar here. Vocals fits here perfectly, Nick Barrett is doing a lot and is giving a lot of emotions in it. And to this fantasy story is more then good suited, I can't imagine this music without him. Similar style of singing is even in Arena music, where singers changes regularly. Oh, when talking about Arena, I have to mention Clive Nolan. He's skilled keyboardist of modern age, I suppose he has his hands (four h's in a row) in a lot of Pendragon/Arena music.

5(+) for a work of true art, which is pleasure to listen, have all ingredients which I admire in this kind of prog and, which is the biggest surprise, everything works perfectly. And oh, of course, my girl. She felt instantly in love with this one, same as myself.

I was a hippy for a few years back in the early seventies, went straight and turned away from Yes and King Crimson to classical music (I did a unit of baroque music at University) and jazz. Five years ago I was revisiting my youth, as you tend to do when you get older, to look at what I used to like with experience and re-evaluate it. I found that while it put things into some realignment, the greater body of music I used to listen to was still good. Since then I have listened to about 2,000 hours of internet radio, thedividingline.com and progrock.com, more or less filling in the intervening years.

I was aware of Pendragon, a favorite of "Lurker" (epicprog.net) but never quite got into them. Instead I approached this band through the back door. first of all Rene from Progroots played the overture to "She" a rock opera composed by Clive Nolan, keyboardist to Pendragon as a side project called Caamora. (caamora.net)

"She" is based on the nineteenth century novel by H. Rider Haggard (wikipedia.org/wiki/She_(Novel)) I was instantly struck by the powerful undercurrents in the music. While there are some imperfections in the live performance, I prefer it over the studio album. Next I moved onto Arena purchasing "Pepper's Ghost" This is the type of prog I like.

Then recently I was walking in the forest and listening to "The Freak Show", a track from "Pure" on either Rogues Gallery or Epic Prog, I forget which, and was completely struck by the perfection of the theme. As we all know, prog is really baroque music in another guise. This theme is lyrical, it contains the best elements of Bel Canto style with embellishments that do not break the legato (connection between notes), it goes on and seems to sum up a whole life in so many bars of music. The version on the album "Pure" is better than the live performance where Barrett hesitates slightly with the embellishments and it doesn't have the same unbroken flow.

A good example of the Bel Canto style are the operas of Handel, Bel Canto strictly means "beautiful singing", I would describe it as a direct communication from the soul. I decided I had to get this album out of fairness to the musician, and for good measure I bought "Concerto Maximo" which a little like "Score", contains a sample of the music of Pendragon over the years.

I think it is enough to say that "Pure" the album released by Pendragon just before this concert, is the best prog album of the decade. The music is sweet, that is it is harmonic. Surely Nick Barrett is one of the finest guitarists of our time. The theme of the album is like Porcupine Tree's "Fear of a Blank Planet", a comment on youth. Initially I heard it a few times on various podcasts and mistook the commentary on youth as the opinions of the musicians, and rated it "ok" but then hearing "The Freak Show" theme when my senses were sharpened I thought, "if only out of respect for a few bars of absolute perfection, I have to buy this album". While "The Freak Show" was the hook that got me in, I've grown to love "Earserhead", and "It's Only Me" is a deep philosophical statement on the simplicity of beingness versus the betrayals of life in the world. Unlike Dream Theater the lyrics are good but then it goes on another level with Barrett's solos.

Mostly Nolan supports Barrett with a very Mellotron type sound, its amazing how much variety he gets out of his keyboards in such a short time. Peter Gee, a very versatile musician, does a great job on the bass, but you have to listen a bit to hear him, I think the mix could be adjusted slightly to boost the bass to what you would hear live. The camera team missed a few close ups of Peter when he was playing keyboard for instance. Scott Higham, who worked with Nolan on "She" and has only just joined Pendragon, seems to have been there for years, he is totally on top of the music. The other slight criticism I have is that the sound volume levels have been flattened so you don't get the dynamic variation of the live performance. But it is easy to criticise, it is a very good production and as I began this review, so many live dvd's are disappointing. This one isn't.

This dvd is expensive, but it comes with two audio cds. The Australian dollar has been down and it cost me half a day's pay but it is worth it. The music is powerful and I find about 3-4 tracks at a go is enough. (Dream Theater are similarly intense). I think the "Pure" tracks are a cut above Pendragon's earlier material, as I said earlier I would rate it the best prog album of the decade, but on relistens, I am finding more and more in the other material on the dvd and I highly recommend the purchase of it.

There is only so much that can be said for the album. Whilst there are interesting moments, nothing truly stands out on this record. The content is very straightforward, but possibly without the intricacies necessary to make the simplicity work as well as it might. Nick Barrett's voice feels rather uncomfortable at times too, which never helps lengthy, yet basic compositions. For a lover of a good melody, there are many to be found, and depending on personal taste, one will determine which in particular stand out. One cannot fault that this music is extremely pure and melodic, and that in itself is a virtue. Very dense keyboard layers wash through, and some tasteful guitar solos are exhibited, notably in 'Guardian of my Soul'. If pentatonic licks are enough to satisfy the ear, then no objections should be made here.

Poor lyrics are excusable if the singer's delivery is of a convincing nature, (and the instrumentation and textural qualities are varied enough) so as to only use the shape of the words to supplement a vocal line, rather than having an intense meaning behind them. However, this here is clearly not the case, and although the music's innocence is a certainly a positive attribute, it goes beyond that to a point where the presentation appears naive.

If the simple essence of the music was contrasted with thought provoking words, or more complex passages, the songs would sustain themselves better, but many of the songs seem tiresome, as multiple sequences are shoved together to create, what can only be defined as really long pop songs. This review may be appear more critical than necessary; because despite all of this, the 'interesting' moments often verge on gorgeous. When the textures do change, it's a breath of fresh air. The keyboard and guitar interplay can be quite moving, too, and there is some really excellent drumming. So, not a bad album by any stretch. It's good - just a little more variety and sustenance needed to make the record a truly memorable one.

(3.1 stars)

This concert DVD celebrates Pendragon's 30th anniversary and features a large selection of their best songs from throughout this 30 year career. There is always debate over which songs are a band's best, but I feel that this massive set list pretty much covers the band's best songs. The set list is quite impressive and I could hardly have chosen a better one myself.

Despite the fact that the band was founded in 1978, the oldest song played here is from 1988; the newest one from 2008. The debut album is ignored completely, which is a bit surprising given that it is an anniversary concert. But all other Pendragon albums are covered including the most recent one, Pure.

My favourite Pendragon album, Believe, is represented by Wishing Well and Learning Curve. Though I am happy to see these songs here, I think that these songs worked better on the studio album since they are here performed on electric guitar here which takes away something. The Flamenco inspired part in Learning Curve is particularly less effective when performed on electric guitar. Apart from these songs, however, most of the material here is better that on their respective studio albums. The new drummer in particular adds a new dimension to many of these songs. And he is on fire! The music is given an edge that they lacked in studio form.

The small size of the theatre allows both the live audience and the DVD audience to get close to the band and the right kind of atmosphere is created for a great DVD experience. Everything about the sound and visuals are flawless.

Concerto Maximo is thus a fitting title. This might be all the Pendragon you need!

Believe is quite different from all other Pendragon albums. This is no longer your usual Neo-Prog album and conservative Pendragon fans might not like it. It is therefore an album that divides people. Some think it is the best album the band ever made while others think that it is the least good of their albums. For me, Believe is by far the Pendragon album that appeals to me the most and also the one I rate higher than all their other albums. I see this album as a product of a more mature band that has finally found a way to make something more original.

One thing that makes Believe different are its heavy emphasis on acoustic guitars and its many influences from Folk and World music. There are, for example, some very nice Flamenco influenced passages that I really like in The Wisdom Of Solomon and Learning Curve. The guitar playing is exquisite throughout and a very good balance between acoustic and electric guitars is offered. The band also make use of some sparse violin and some tribal male and female vocalisations to great effect in addition to the traditional Neo-Prog line up of keyboards, bass, drums, guitars and lead vocals.

Had this album been made by another band, it would perhaps fit into Prog Folk just as well as in Neo-Prog. But this is not to say that the Symphonic side of the band is no longer here; Believe is still symphonic as well as folky which creates a special sound and feeling. This music is perhaps not groundbreaking in any way, but at least the band has found a quite original and interesting sound for themselves on this album. If earlier Pendragon could be accused of being a Genesis clone, this can by no means be applied here. Many other influences can be referred to, but Pendragon do not wear their influences on their sleeves anymore. Another thing that makes Believe stand out for me is that is has more of a Rock edge and a darker, more serious tone. I am one of those who find albums like The Masquerade Overture and other earlier albums a bit too lightweight and light-hearted. I find more depth and substance in this album.

The songs are all very strong and memorable, but like with many good Prog albums it took several listens to get into the album and really appreciate it. Every time I listen to Believe I find new details and aspects. Nick Barett's vocals have never sounded better than here, he sounds more mature as a singer. There are also some tasteful spoken word passages that contribute to set the mood and create a special atmosphere. The mood of the album sometimes reminds me of some of Steve Hackett's solo albums, especially the superb Hackett song There Are Many Sides To The Night that also utilizes spoken word and lovely acoustic playing.

For me this is a highly enjoyable album that I find more interest and appeal in than other albums by Pendragon (and many other Neo-Prog albums in general). Unless you are a more conservative fan, Believe is highly recommended!

To be considered part of The Masquerade Overture 'As Good As Gold' as stated for 'The Masquerade Overture' review this is far too short a version one assumes this was for radio play not that I recollect it being played. 'Bird Of Paradise' not Snowy White. Rather a mish mash of other songs elements of 'Paintbox' and 'Good as Gold', amongst others rather disjointedly put together. It never really sound coherent. 4 minutes in the listener is teased with what might be something going somewhere, but it never materialises. 'Midnight Running' more in the style of Pendragon, a solid chunky rhythm section supports the vocal together with a Mike Oldfield sounding guitar. Probably the best of the tracks on offer here. 'A Million Miles Away' a short track with vocals over lush keys together with some backing vocals. One can't help feeling that this belonged to something else and was removed?

Not quite what I had hoped for? sorry only 2 stars