JON LORD

I wish he had forgotten about this!

Jon Lord made some strange decisions in the late 70's/early 80's. Joining Whitesnake was one of them and recording Before I Forget was another. Lord's motivation behind making this album seems to have been to show Keith Emerson that he (i.e. Lord) could make an album worse than Emerson's Honky! I'm not sure whether he succeeded with that difficult task, but the two albums are close in badness. The major problem is that Lord seems not to know in what direction he wanted to go; we have Blues Rock, Rock 'N' Roll and Classical music in a pretty disparate mix. He is alternating between the different styles, but never once is he trying to fuse them together to create something more interesting. I'm not saying that all the material here is bad, there are indeed some decent moments. But there is nothing as good as would have been needed to save this album from overall mediocrity.

The three first tracks are very mundane bluesy Rock 'N' Roll songs whose only redeeming feature is a decent organ solo. The fourth track is actually the only thing that is remotely interesting on this album; it is an eight minute long Bach influenced track with nice keyboard work and some electric guitar. Good, but nothing too impressive. After this the album slows down quite a bit and changes its nature radically. It visits parts that come very close to what Lord would do many years later on his Pictured Within album. Most of the rest of the songs are based on grand piano, strings and guest vocals by "classical" singers (some of which would resurface on the Pictured Within album). Needless to say, most of these songs have absolutely nothing to do with Rock, progressive or otherwise. They are not bad songs, but not really my cup of tea.

Among all the tracks from the title track onwards, only Going Home strays from this Classical style. It is a cheerful, somewhat jazzy, up tempo instrumental piece and whose main melody is played on some keyboard instrument. It feels totally out of place among those classically oriented songs.

My version of this album has a 16 minute radio interview with Jon Lord recorded at the time of this album's release. This is easily the most interesting track and Jon is a very charming and funny person.

A weak album with only a few decent moments, only recommended for fans and followers of the Lord.

Praise the lord (with moderation!)

During the period from the late 60's to the mid 70's, Jon Lord was very much interested in fusing Classical music with Rock. 1976's Sarabande album was the very culmination of that interest and most probably the most successful of his works in this style (I must admit that I have not heard them all, hence the 'probably'). I would say that this is about 80 - 85% Classical music and about 15 - 20% Rock music. In stark contrast to Concerto For Group And Orchestra, the Rock elements are perfectly blended into the overall mix of Sarabande. While Concerto For Group And Orchestra sounded more like a battle of group against orchestra rather than any kind of interesting fusion of Rock and Classical music, Sarabande achieves the goal of actually fusing the different styles together (even if the Classical elements dominate things). Maybe Lord himself also thought that he had achieved his goals with this album since this was the last album he ever did in that style.

The Rock elements consist of drums, occasional electric and acoustic guitars, bass and a quite interesting array of different keyboards including Hammond organ (obviously!), acoustic and electric piano and some different synthesisers. While Lord is most known for his Hammond playing, he did use synthesisers during the latter half of the 70's and occasionally in the 80's both with Deep Purple and on outside projects. However, from the 90's onwards he went back to his roots and played only Hammond and piano like he did in the 60's and early 70's. Maybe the presence of synthesisers is what has made Prog fans like this album so much? Or maybe it is the memorable melodies? Anyway, I think that this is worth listening to, but it is by no means essential.

Keeping busy in retirement

Four years after the release of "Pictured within", Jon Lord decided it was time for him to make another solo statement. In the intervening period, he had played with an R'n'B/Blues rock band, but his studio activity was limited. By this time, he had retired from Deep Purple, primarily due to the rigours of touring. In a clear attempt to emphasise that he now sees himself as a composer as much as he does a performer, the sleeve image is of Lord with conductor's baton in hand.

The line up for the album is very similar to that on "Pictured within", including return appearances by Sam Brown, Thijs Van Leer and Pete York. Also present once again is what is best described as a small orchestra. From a pop history perspective, the most significant addition to the line up is Frida from Abba (reportedly a family friend), recording for the first time in 10 years.

The main difference between this album and the previous one is that there is much more vitality to the music this time around. We still have the reflective and melancholy sections, but they are interspersed with spirited passages of up-tempo sounds. Last time around, John was in mourning, here he is torn between the relief of having a blank sheet in front of him in terms of his future, and the trauma of leaving a band he had dedicated much of his life to. The second track, "De profundis" is dedicated by Jon to his departure, the piece capturing the melting pot of emotions perfectly.

Apart from some choral style voices on the opening "Miles away", the first vocals we encounter are on the third track "One from the meadow". This melodic 8 minute song finds Sam brown in typically fine form, delivering her own emotional lyrics beautifully. Her voice is nicely counterpointed by solo violin. "Cologne again" is the most dynamic solo composition by Lord in many years. It features a quasi-improvised organ section, complemented by some aggressive orchestration and the odd eastern sound.

Frida's voice on "The sun will shine again" is instantly recognisable, the piece allowing her to demonstrate the often under-appreciated talent she possesses. It seems ironic that the vast majority of long time Abba fans will be quite oblivious to what is undoubtedly one of her finest singing performances. Miller Anderson returns again to sing "November calls", his deep emotive voice suiting the song well. Incidentally, it is the lyrics of this song which provide the album title.

The title "The Telemann experiment" refers to a contemporary of Bach's, one of Jon's favourite composers as evidenced by his Bach references throughout his early solo work. Telemann also wrote in the Baroque style, and indeed was the more famous of the two in their day. This track actually takes us back to Lord's "Sarabande" album.

The album closes with "Music for Miriam", a reworked and lengthened version of a piece which appeared on "Pictured within", Miriam being Jon's late mother.

In all, an album which complements the previous "Pictured within". When heard together, the two albums work with each other to offer an even better experience than when heard individually. Whether Lord's aspirations as a serious composer will be recognised by future generations in the same way as his own influences (especially Bach) have enjoyed, is for future generations to decide. For now, we simply have to sit back and enjoy the music.

At one with the Lord

Having released four solo albums between 1971 and 1982, Jon Lord waited a further 17 years before venturing back into his solo career. During the intervening period the classic Deep Purple reformed twice and then fell apart completely; Lord however kept the faith throughout. After the general disappointment with his 1982 release "before I forget", hopes were high that he would rediscover the inspiration which had been apparent on his three albums from the 1970s.

While the 12 tracks here tend to be listed as individual pieces, Lord's official website describes how they are actually grouped into four suites. These are "The valley" (tracks 1 2 and 3), "Blue sky dreams" (tracks 4,5 and 6) "Of heroes and heroines" (tracks 7,8 an 9) and "Beneath a higher heaven" (tracks 10, 11 and 12).

Lord stops short of restoring a full orchestra to the line up, but does call in an army of classical and rock musicians (including Thijs Van Leer of Focus) plus the ever present Pete York on percussion and female vocalist Sam Brown (Joe Brown's daughter). Brown is given a couple of lyric writing credits too, the only person other than Lord to receive such a credit. Jon had been working on the music for some time before recording commenced, the loss of his mother in 1995 having a clear influence on the mood of the album. Significantly, he signed with the Virgin Classics label for its release.

The virtually inaudible opening bars of "Sunrise" imperceptibly increase in volume until a cello picks out a theme and Jon plays his introductory notes on piano. And so we are quickly reassured that this is to be an album of considered beauty with strong symphonic leanings. Those who are familiar with Deep Purple's revisiting of their "Concerto" (captured on the "Live at the Royal Albert hall" album) will recognise the piece and the following title track, which also opened that gig. As at that performance, Miller Anderson delivers an impassioned vocal to this beautiful song. "From the windmill" is a slightly looser instrumental which features classical guitar. The track remains downbeat, but has a more contemporary feel overall.

"Circle of stones", which opens the second section "Blue sky dreams", is a short reflective composition for strings, which merges into "Menorca blue". Here the strings remain but become the accompaniment to the lead piano and flute (played by the aforementioned Van Leer). "Evening song" finds Sam Brown providing lead vocal for the first time, her pained vocals and the crying violin accompaniment now really testing the emotions.

The title "Music for Miriam" is Jon's direct dedication to his late mother, the piece introducing the "Of heroes and heroines" tracks. Solo violin forms the main part of this emotionally charged piece. "Arc-En-Ciel", while still melancholy, offers a welcome change of lead instrument to Cor Anglais, once again joined by piano. "Wait a while" features further vocals from Sam Brown, the song having a familiar, almost traditional feel to it. The familiarity may simply be that it also featured on the "Royal Albert Hall" album also sung there by Sam Brown.

The longest track on the album, "Crystal spa", runs to well over 14 minutes. It opens as a sort of requiem with choral vocals and orchestration, the strings holding the notes poignantly as Lord adds colour on piano. There is a resemblance here to Tangerine Dream's later trilogy of interpretations of Dante's "Divine comedy". "Mountain sunset" takes us full circle from the opening "Sunrise", painting a picture of the last light of day. The melody reminds me of Scottish airs and long evenings in the remote Highlands. We close with "Different sky", a final glimpse of (Jon) Lord's emotional landscape before we must return to our own reality.

It is probably fair to say that you need to be in the right mood to listen to and appreciate this album. "Pictured within" is not for those wanting to rock out or to sing along. It is an album for relaxation, for reflection, and as Jon himself was doing, for remembering those who are no longer with us. While the music remains impassioned but gentle throughout, this is not a morbid affair. It is quite feasible to enjoy the music while indulging in personal thoughts and memories.

A step Bach-wards

After releasing the fine "Sarabade" album in 1976, Jon Lord became a third of the Paice, Ashton, Lord trio and put his solo career on hold. Ian Paice was of course a fellow member of Deep Purple, while Tony Ashton had been a guest singer on "Windows". Lord went on to join David Coverdale's Whitesnake, and during this time he recorded a further solo album ("Before I forget") and a commissioned soundtrack ("Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady", long since lost!).

Lord gathers together a fine group of rock musicians to help with this album, including bassists Neil Murray and Boz Burrell, drummers Simon Kirke and Ian Paice, guitarists Bernie Marsden and Mick Ralphs and vocalists Sam Brown, Vicky Brown and Elmer Gantry. The main omission on the other hand is an orchestra, making this his first solo release without one. To compensate for this, Lord simply uses a Polymoog and Moog string filler.

Anyone hoping for more of the same from Jon Lord will immediately realise from the first track "Chance on a feeling" that they are in for a disappointment. This rather prosaic rock song could have been recorded by any number of bands and artists, especially the likes of Styx or REO Speedwagon. Fortunately the following "Tender babies", while by no means reverting to a classical style, finds Jon front and centre on Hammond organ, playing a rip roaring instrumental. The only down side of the track is the inappropriate fade while still at full throttle.

As if making a conscious attempt to alternate good track / not so good track, "Hollywood rock and roll" is the poorest song recorded by Lord, possibly ever. The Stevie Wonder like keyboards, girlie backing vocal and trite lyrics combine to form an instantly forgettable piece of funk.

The first side of the LP closes with an 8 minute piece entitled "Bach on this", offering hope of something more in tune with "Windows" or "Sarabande". The opening bars of "Toccata" prolong the optimism but lead into something decidely un-Bach like. The piece is actually similar to the recordings Cozy Powell made a few years earlier; although he does play on this album, he is not on this track. Listen closely though and you will hear the keyboards break which featured on the title track of deep Purple's "Burn" (or something very close to it!).

The title track, which opens the second side of the album, is a haunting piano piece with synth and vocalised accompaniment. The mellow mood continues on "Say it's alright", a piano ballad with lead vocal by Vicky Brown. It is a million miles from Lord's previous works, but those with wider tastes should enjoy the soulful voice of Brown. "Burntwood" seems like a continuation of "Before I forget", the line up being pared back even further to just Lord and bassist Neil Murray. The album in its original LP version closes with "Where are you?" another duet, this time featuring Jon Lord and vocalist Elmer Gantry.

As will be clear by now, this album should be approached without any preconceptions of what to expect. On that basis, we find a mixed bag containing some fine keyboards pieces and melodic songs but also bearing some at best ordinary tracks, especially on side one. Those who approach seeking either the hard rock of Deep Purple or the group and orchestra adventures of Lord's previous albums are certainly in for a shock!

Baroque and roll

Following his live 1974 release "Windows", Jon Lord decided that his next album should benefit from the production and engineering facilities available in a studio. He put together a small band of whom only Pete York had played on the previous album, the most notable of the newcomers (from a fame perspective at least) being Andy Summers, later of the Police, on guitar. An orchestra is once again deployed; this time we have the Philharmonica Hungarica Orchestra conducted by Eberhard Schoener.

To understand the motivation behind "Sarabande", we need go no further than Jon's own words: "(it is) that of a baroque dance suite; a form of music which was brought to its highest level by Bach. The title of each track is the name of a dance used in one of those dance suites and I have tried to use the same tempo and feel as an original Sarabande, Gigue etc." The music is therefore written by Lord himself, but he makes his inspiration clear. Ask a music expert though and they will tell you that Lord's lofty pretensions are at times suspect, the "Fantasia" and "finale" here having little to do with baroque, while several recognised baroque dances are overlooked.

The "Fantasia" is actually just that, a fanfare to introduce the album; it quickly leads into the 7 minute title piece. "Sarabande" signals that this will be no "Windows" part 2, the composition and performance both being much tighter. The synthesiser sounds explored by Lord may seem prosaic now, but at the time they would still have been pleasingly new and modern. The synth counterpoints well with the lead guitar of Andy Summers throughout the piece while the orchestra is effectively used as an alternative lead instrument.

"Aria" is a delicate piano and synthesiser duet, it's theme sounding simultaneously familiar yet refreshingly new. The two longest pieces on the album are "Gigue" and "Bouree", both of which run to 11 minutes. "Gigue" would make for a great piece of soundtrack music for a horseback chase in a western or a road movie. Summers is allowed to show his under- appreciated talents on lead guitar while Lord displays his more familiar dexterity on organ. Once again, for no explicable reason, a drum solo by Pete York is again inflicted upon us.

North African desert sounds and styles come to the fore on "Bouree", the soundtrack theme moving straight into "Lawrence of Arabia" (or maybe "Carry on, follow that camel"!) before the gentle "Pavane" restores a more serene order. Once again, Summers shows how his abilities were suppressed during his subsequent career, as he moves to classical guitar. "Caprice" wakes us up again with a start as it dives head first into the most spirited part of the album. It is all over in 3 minutes, making it the obvious choice for a single release. ("Bouree"/"Aria" was in fact the only single release). The album concludes with a brief "Finale" which seems like the album played all over again in 2 minutes.

In all, the general observation that this is Lord's finest solo work from the 1970's gets my vote too. This quasi-classical work finds him blending that style with rock better than any of his other attempts.

Chronologically, "Sarabande" finds Lord dealing with the departure of Ritchie Blackmore from Deep Purple after the "Stormbringer" tour, and preparing to record the band's first and only album with Tommy Bolin. "Sarabande" was actually released after "Come taste the band" by which time it seemed that Deep Purple had run their course.

This would be Lord's last solo album for several years, Jon preffering to work on projects both within and outside Deep Purple. It would also be his last album of this type (i.e. with a full orchestra).

Look back in Renga

Jon Lord has always been the most progressive of the members of Deep Purple. Right from the band's earliest days, he encouraged them to take risks and to experiment beyond the boundaries of conventional rock. Deep Purple's "Concerto for group and orchestra" was his first major work, after which he decided to peruse a parallel solo career for future classically influenced outings. The BBC commissioned "Gemini suite" was the first of his solo studio releases, but even this was performed live by the band.

In 1974, Lord got together with conductor Eberhard Schoener and the pair composed the two pieces which comprise the album "Windows". Lord called in his new Deep Purple band mates David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes plus Tony Ashton (Ashton Gardner and Dyke) Ray Fenwick (Ian Gillan Band) and Pete York (Spencer Davis Group, Hardin and York). To this was added the Orchestra of the Munich Chamber Opera.

The two pieces were performed live in Munich in 1 June 1974 as part of a Eurovision presentation, and the recording of the event released on the fledgling Purple Records. Each piece occupies one side of the original LP. The result is somewhat unbalanced in terms of length, with "Continuo of B.A.C.H." running to but half the time of the three part "Window" suite.

"Continuo on B.A.C.H" is a variation on an incomplete fugue composed by Bach which was based on the four letters of his surname. There is of course no letter H in music notation, so it is represented by B sharp. (A fellow member with greater music knowledge than I explains that "In Germany the letter H is formally the way to describe the b sharp note as it is in most countries".) While for obvious reasons the piece has been well rehearsed, it generally has the feel of an improvisation. Off key playing of various instruments and jazz like passages combine to create an atmosphere of looseness. The purely orchestra sections therefore contrast more obviously than they would with a more rigid composition. The risk with such pieces is that they come over as pretentious and insincere. While Lord just about manages to keep such thoughts at bay, the symphonic passages do suffer from the usual malaise of rock stars who wannabee classical composers in that they become pseudo-classical. As with Bach's original composition on which this piece is based, there is a feeling as it ends that it is incomplete.

With all the grand pretensions of the wonderful prog of the early 1970's, "Window" is based on 14th century collaborative poetry from the far east called Renga, the lyrics of the 1st and 3rd movements being taken from a "contemporary renga" (found by Michael Kruger). The second movement is based on a vocal section of the aforementioned "Gemini suite".

During the first movement, David Coverdale and/or Tony Ashton do battle with a pair of sopranos, but in terms of avant-garde vocalisation, the latter win by a mile. Once again, the suite is a cross between almost straight classical styles and jazz rock improvisation. Whether the two styles sit well together is for the listener to decide, but overall the music is generally pleasing. Unfortunately, as was all too customary for the period, Pete York is allowed to add a quite superfluous and yawn inducing drum solo. At times, during the more melodic passages, I was reminded of Rick Wakeman's "Journey to the centre of the earth", although the two albums as a whole are quite different.

The sleeve notes for the album claim that this is a warts-and-all recording, devoid of over- dubs, and there is no reason to question this.

A remastered edition of "Windows" will be/was re-released in November 2009 to recognise the 35th anniversary of its recording.

A bit of Whitesnake, a bit of classical, a bit of AOR...before I forget, a bit of all actually...

Jon Lord's Before I Forget, it's definitely not a album based on Jon Lord's virtuosity as a song-writer neither his amazing Hammond-Organ playing. This seems more of a side-project of Whitesnake members excluding David Coverdale and Micky Moody, which unfortunately was head-lined saying it is a Jon Lord solo record.

In 1982, Jon Lord was working with Whitesnake with their 5th release, Saints & Sinners, a very, very un-inspiring record, which by the way Jon Lord's presence in Whitesnake had diminished with each release. He would leave 2 years laters after recording the semi-metal record, Slide It In, which there he would join with the classic MK 2 of Deep Purple, for their promising album, Perfect Strangers.

Obviously in Whitesnake, Jon Lord had like a ''guest'' role rather than a full song-writer and contributor to the band which he had in Deep Purple, also his Organ use was less frequent, experimenting with varied keyboards, specially moog. Well this album, is like a Whitesnake one of the 70's, just that this time the main contributor is Jon Lord, rather than Micky Moody, Bernie Marsden and David Coverdale. By the way, this one features Bernie Marsden, Neil Murray and Ian Paice which were playing with him in Whitesnake.

'Whitesnake-cliche': The opener, Chance on a Feeling, is definitely in the style of 70's Whitesnake, specially the song Walkin' in the Shadow of the Blues., just a bit more up-lifting, and more poppy, which is certainly not something Jon Lord fans appeal, nonetheless I'm a big fan of 70's Whitesnake, which I find this song worthwhile, with it's hammond-organ solo, and great power.

Hollywood Rock & Roll is another one in the style of Whitesnake, with it's groovy rythm, and soulful mood. The female backing vocals are a bit cheesy, which shouldn't have been necessary, but nevermind, it's catchy, and features the classic Bernie Marsden guitar-style.

Going Home is the last of the Whitesnake-style series. A extremely cheerful song, with a similar riff to the opener, but this one is instrumental, and featuring a wonderful melodic moog leading the whole up-lifting mood. The song also features a typical organ solo, which was missing in this album, quite good in the style of Time to Kill in The Battle Rages On. The song is definitely one of the best in the album, though it's really nothing stunning for Jon Lord fans, though it's a quite good tune to add to your Whitesnake compilation, if you're a Whitesnake fan.

'Classical inspired': Tender Babes is one of them, which reminds me A LOT of ELP classical adaptions, which are really not my cup-of-tea at all! Still the song features a great organ solo, but I really skip this one. Classical adaptions, that are too tied up to the classical leanings like Toccatta by ELP, really annoy me. Though you may enjoy it, if you're one of those Prog fans who enjoy these type of adaptions.

Bach on to This besides featuring the name, Bach in the song, there's a lot remiscent from classical music with the organ. But the playing is really interesting in this one compared to Tener Babes, there's a lot of time changes, in which the organ is the one constantly changing of mood and tempo, which is really excellent. Definitely the best song on the album, as completely original and very well played.

The rest of the songs, are gentle piano tunes, which really don't feature any interest, unless you're a slow-tempo song lover lead by a simple piano, this is really boredom. With the possible exception of the title track, which features a nice climax, and some development, rather than a dull piano playing.

To finalise this review, I must say that this is definitely not for fans of Jon's fierceful hammond playing, nor for fans of his jaw-dropping classical mixed with rock compositions. This is a SIMPLE record for Jon Lord standards, it's enjoyable to some extent, featuring only 1 well accomplished song, which is original and very well played, this one is Bach on to This. The rest is playful music, but NOT Jon Lord style of compositions nor playing. Also, the combination of AOR, then classical, sort-of ''adaptions'', and gentle piano tunes, is badly connected, which makes this album feel like a compilation of a bit of all.

2 stars. Fans of early Whitesnake, like me, will find the record enjoyable to some extent.

This was not one of Jon Lord’s finer moments to say the least. Actually I guess the Hoochie Coochie Men stuff wasn’t exactly stellar either, but this one Lord can only blame on himself.

And it’s not that Lord plays badly, because I don’t think I’ve ever actually heard him do that. It’s just that this is the sort of music that is more reminiscent of his Whitesnake days than it is of Deep Purple or even his classical solo work.

The opening “Chance on a Feeling” sets the wrong mood by offering up a pretty bland AOR number that would have been better-placed on an eighties Bob Seger album than here. The same goes for “Hollywood Rock and Roll”, including the title now that I think about it, while “Going Home” at the end of the record has a similar organ riff and feel as “Chance on a Feeling” but without the vocals.

“Tender Babes” offers some solo organ bits from Lord, but the title is rather misleading as there is nothing tender about this AOR rocker.

“Bach on to This” is more in keeping with Lord’s talents, a sweeping organ instrumental based on Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D Minor” and one that shows why so many keyboardists name Lord among their biggest influences. This and the chamber-like “Before I Forget” and “Burntwood” are the only pieces that save this record.

Vicki Brown offers a soft Motown-tinged vocal interpretation on “Say Its All Right” that would have sounded great on a Whitney Houston album, but not here. And the Joe Cocker imitation from Elmer Gantry on “Where Are You?” falls into a male version of the same category.

Finally “Pavane” is a decent enough piano and organ solo, but fails to stir anything close to the kind of passion that Lord’s best work does. Nice keyboards, but a song that thousands of pianists could have done just as easily.

The best thing about this album is that is can be picked up cheaply. The worst thing is that there’s a reason for that. Jon Lord remains one of the preeminent keyboardists in music today, especially progressive and rock music. But he’s always been uneven in the choices he makes for recordings, and this one sits toward the bottom of that list. Two stars for the Bach number and “Burntwood”, but not recommended for anyone but his closest fans.

peace

Jon Lord followed up on his lamentable 1982 ‘& friends’ release “Before I Forget” with a return to Deep Purple, seemingly content to put both his solo endeavors and his Whitesnake career behind him. Except for a mid-eighties collaboration with film/television producer Alfred Ralston titled “Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady” (which nobody I know has ever seen or heard), Lord wouldn’t release another non-MkII work until he recorded this album in late 1998. Not long after he would leave Deep Purple for good and embark on the latest phase of his career.

This and Lord’s other albums since it can really be thought of more as adult contemporary with strong classical leanings than as anything progressive. It seems he has chosen to live out his wild side (such as remains) in the form of the Hoochie Coochie Men collaborations. ‘Pictured Within’ is much more complex, regal and placid than that music though.

Lord was mourning the passing of his mother when most of this album was written and recorded, and he did so in Cologne, a place that afforded him an opportunity to reflect and develop the somber emotions expressed in this music. There is nothing flashy, loud, pompous or fast here. These are deeply personal compositions, mostly instrumental, and tend toward slow, lush piano arrangements. To emphasize the somber aspect of the music Lord enlisted a number of string players as well as an oboist, French horn player and flautist. The guest musicians here are different from the hard rock crowd who participated in most of his previous solo work. Most of the names are not easily recognized by prog music fans, as I suppose many of them come from the classical world and are therefore not known to many of Lord’s older fans.

It would be largely unproductive to expand on each individual track of the album, mostly because they are all musically quite similar (piano, strings, a little horn or flute, more piano), and also because only Lord can fully explain the deeper meanings of each song.

There are a few exceptional works on the album though. “Evening Song” features gorgeous and sultry vocals from Dutchwoman Sabine Van Baaren, and “Music for Miriam” is a wonderful composition almost exclusively focused on strings, with viola and cello figuring most prominently. Lord was going for great sorrow in the mood here, and he certainly achieved that.

The most ambitious piece on the album is the nearly fifteen minute long “Crystal Spa” which can best be described as an orchestral composition with an oboe as its centerpiece. I sat through a classical music concert once where oboe was the featured solo, and I have to say that it was one of the saddest experiences I’ve ever been through, simply because it seems to be impossible to play that instrument without its sound causing everyone in hearing range to burst instantly and uncontrollably into tears. An appropriate choice for such a poignant album.

This isn’t prog music I suppose, but certainly not everything any progressive musician does is either. It was a personal time and range of emotions that Lord chose to share with his fans and friends, and should be respected on its merits. If taken in that context I think most of his fans will be glad to have experienced it.

peace