PAUL BRETT

One of the strengths of PAUL BRETT's occasional resurrections of the SAGE name in recent years lies in his use of electric guitars under this moniker to complement his unplugged plucking, not to mention his crustily benevolent vocals. This added variety allows the flow of numbers to breeze by in fortuitous succession. From the upbeat opener "From the Cradle to the Grave" to the raucous "Life on Earth" (in which he musically references his sweet "This Side of Heaven" from a bygone 1970s classic) featuring MEL COLLINS on ripping sax, to the bouncy title cut with some of his most appetizing electric licks in recent memory, this collection keeps beckoning me back to its gruff musings. He also skillfully whips in story songs like "the Oval Portrait", which also appears on his "solo" "The Raven" release, and the outlaw sympathizing "Ballad of Charlie Peace". Brett also knows how to dissipate the clouds just often enough to sidestep outright dreariness, as evidenced by the brightly acoustic "Happy Bunnies" and the African shaded "Sun".

It's heartwarming to hear some of the artists who were "there" during the height of musical creativity of the early 1970s still turning out music that both challenges and entertains, and with a devil may care attitude that Paul Brett has come by honestly.

The pure meter of so many of the man's poems lends itself so well to Brett's haunting acoustic reveries. "The Bride" and "The Conquering Worm" are both chilling delicacies in the hands of this man's weather worn voice and cavernous guitar. The album closes with one of only two short stories that are interpreted, "The Pit and the Pendulum", which first appeared on PAUL BRETT's SAGE "Emergence" comeback album from the mid 2010s, and from which one can assume this collection has germinated. This somewhat compensates for a notable sag in quality in the back 40, which sound like they were composed and performed on the fly. Brett's guitar technique is so exhilarating that it can carry almost any piece on its own, and the lyrics, even if not his, prevent the interpretations from sinking into the well of guitar picking instructional videos.

in a sense, this is a companion piece to Brett's "Songs from the Compleat Angler", which was as squinty-eyed sunshine to Poe's dark imaginings. One may be idealistically carefree and the other profoundly morose, but they are birds of a feather in Paul Brett's capable hands.

From the title, and from the instrumentation and mood, I would estimate that at least a few of these tracks herald from the first incarnation of Sage, graced as it was by the seductive flutes of Nicky Higginbottom. The melodies, arrangements, and vocal style and harmonies of the prototypical early 1970s songs "Ulysees the Traveller" and "Queen of my Day" would have fit perfectly well on Sage's debut, where they would have been among the more erudite offerings. They compare to early STRAWBS, and are the most progressive samples here. "The Time isn't write for your loving" is notable for its impressive riff and psych guitar solo, while "Love is a Four Letter Word" recalls AMAZING BLONDEL's first album's poppy side. The only weak link is the repetitive "Ragman", which exhibits the traits of the less memorable cuts on the SAGE debut.

If you are intrigued by this unjustly obscure artist, I would recommend picking up the first SAGE album and then circling back to this archive recording, although I suppose reversing those steps might save you both time and money. Not quite 3.5 stars.

This collection of 30 tracks does indeed span the works of guitarist/singer/songwriter PAUL BRETT during his most prolific decade, and draws from 4 albums that, to the best of my knowledge, have yet to receive legitimate digital treatment: the more vocal oriented "Paul Brett" aka "Site and Speculation" (1973) and "Clocks" (1974), and the largely instrumental RCA releases "Interlife" (1978) and "Eclipse" (1979). It omits the solo guitar "Earth Birth" (1977), from which numerous tracks have surfaced on another new compilation, "12 String Instrumental Power", and the virtually unattainable "Phoenix Future" (1975), from which one song has been resurrected on another new quasi-compilation, "Derelict Songs".

From a progressive perspective, it is unfortunate that, while 80% of the tracks of his best solo album, "Interlife" are represented, every one of them has been abridged, none more so than the genre spanning title cut, edited to well under half its 16+ minutes. That said, the splicing was skillfully executed, but, given the lengthy running time of "The 1970s", I would argue unnecessary. Its placement at the very beginning was astute, as was following it immediately with the overtly jazzy and fun-loving original album closer "Intolife", which fits much better without the interceding more placid instrumentals in the original running order.

"Eclipse" is also given short shrift, with only 4 of the original 10 tracks included, in slightly remixed form. Luckily, the three best pieces are offered: the Celtic inspired and infectious title track, the gently rechristened and scintillating flute and acoustic guitar pairing "The Other Side of Paradise", and the grandly baroque "Overture for Decadence". The only egregious exclusion is the superb rendition of DAVE BRUBECK's "Take Five". Of note, the "12 String Instrumental Power" compilation includes one other track, the decent "Silent Runner", re-branded as "The Fasting", while a recent single by PAUL BRETT SAGE took up the aptly named vocal track "Chaos" once again.

The remaining 22 tracks, apart from one fun acoustic instrumental "Jazz Eyes" of unknown origin, include the vast majority of the 2 earlier albums, and clarify that "Sight and Speculation" is by far the better of the two, and the heir apparent to PAUL BRETT SAGE, particularly in "The Spanish Main" and "A Handful of Rain", which could have sat nicely on the first SAGE album, right down to the flute interludes. "March of the Giant Hedgehogs" trots out the best of this incarnation instrumentally, with an unexpected piano portion for variety. The "Clocks" tracks are the weak link here, as there are just too many of them! Still, works like "Hunter of Angels", "What you Mean to me" and "Summer Drifting" propose a more pastoral and string laden approach similar to what AMAZING BLONDEL achieved at that time, and distinguish themselves from the overly represented blues and middle of the road soft rock to a greater extent than they had on the original release.

This is a flawed yet noteworthy compilation that expands the scope of what the average listener has normally been privy to. Had a few tracks from "Clocks" been sacrificed in the service of the full version of "Interlife" and one or two more selections from "Eclipse", I would be rounding up instead of down. Recommended, but not quite as much as those late 1970s original LPs.

The focus is on songwriting and vocals first and foremost, with many of the lyrics imparting at times blunt social and political commentary, and the melodies paired cleverly to Brett's weathered but still earnest and appealing voice. The opener "Amsterdam" introduces all of these facets in a representative 3 minutes. From here, Brett's scathing stylus takes on ecology, big oil and gas, big media, and other easy targets, but interspersed with the lighthearted "Psychedelic Pauline" and the grandiose mini epics "the Tempest", "Evening Star", and "The Pit and the Pendulum" which are curiously concentrated towards the tail end of the disk, and among my preferred pieces. The production closes strongly with the ominous "There's a Wolf at your door", not the only piece that reminds me of the relatively recent collaboration between fellow virtuoso GORDON GILTRAP and OLIVER WAKEMAN. Comparisons to the song oriented period of MIKE OLDFIELD, ALAN PARSONS PROJECT and TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA are valid, primarily in an appreciation for the theatrical and the melodramatic.

The only lead instruments are Brett's acoustic and electric guitars, which are, as usual, technically brilliant and succinct, whether in accompaniment to the vocal passages or on their own. "Emergence" can best be characterized as a synthesis of the original SAGE sprinkled with the acoustic-electric essence of "Interlife" and the bite of "Queen's Shilling", with occasional reference to "the Compleat Angler". In all, a quality release that defies submergence.

The 1960s were barely in the rear view mirror, and, while Sage obviously owes much to the guitar oriented and psych bands of that period, this is a forward looking release in that the band is exploring new ways to be around the basic rock band configuration. This elasticity is typified by swapping out a standard drum kit in favor of Brett's percussive 12 string attack and Bob Voice's well placed and played alternatives. Another variation is in the flutes and sax of Nicky Higginbottom, which aerate and expand while actually fortifying the Sage sound. Keyboards are represented by brilliant uncredited organ in several tracks to lend a mournful ambiance devoid of sulking. I haven't mentioned Brett's rough and ready vocals but it seems clear that the material was worked to complement his delivery and vice versa, and the result is a resounding success. Finally, his fret work is dazzling in almost every track, while rarely overpowering the arrangements, a testament to both. His skills on the electric notwithstanding, it's his acoustic work that has earned him a reputation as one of the world's foremost guitarists, and which ultimately places Sage in league of its own, although in its more frenetic moments they seem close in spirit to the even more obscure "Matthew Mark Luke and John" from METHUSELAH, released in 1969.

My personal favorites are the more brooding numbers "The Sun Died" and "The Tower". While their messages are hardly oblique, they are practically arcane relative to Brett's more recent solo albums as well as the 2014 resurrection of SAGE. These two tracks in particular seem to have formed the blueprint for a few of the better pieces on UK folk rockers DECAMERON's "Third Light" that appeared in 1975, as well as a few early 1970s Strawbs tunes like "Keep the Devil Outside", but overall I would say that the technical and serendipitous confluence of Sage would have been too hard for most artists to emulate. If there is a flaw, it might be in the awkwardness of a few of the choruses that tend to repeat the song titles, such as in the otherwise captivating "The Warlock", or in "Mediterranean Lazy Heat wave". The CD re-issues include two worthwhile bonus tracks whose origins are clearly from other sessions since they both include actual drums.

You would be sage to pick this one up whether you normally enjoy prog folk or not. That pretty much covers everyone here.

Nothing is missing from Brett's technique, which is more focused on acoustic guitar in a rock setting, but most tracks do seem almost like placeholders for exhibits of the man's awesome fretting power. His ability is such that he can overpower pieces that other guitarists might complement better. Here and there we find snippets of what was generally better developed on prior albums; for instance, "In Search of Aztecs" hearkens back to the suite "Interlife" while failing to capture the ensemble effect that really propelled the flow of those choice 16 minutes. "Alternative 12-string" at times approximates works like "Calypso" and "Silent Runner" off "Eclipse" but tries out too many concepts for its own good in under 6 minutes. Gershwin's "Summertime" does not revive the magic of Brett's prior adaptation of Brubeck's "Take Five", but perhaps it is just not as fresh or appealing a number to begin with.

The three tracks that work the best do so for different reasons - "Forever Autumn" succeeds as much because the Jeff Wayne composition is so brilliant as anything, but one must give substantial credit to Brett for treating it sensitively and imbuing it with his own identity, while leaving its spirit intact. "Even when the sun shines" expands upon the courtly folk of "Overture for Decadence" off "Eclipse", but incorporates more rock aspects, consistent with the album as a whole. Finally, the closer "Blood on the Frets" actually parlays the guitarist's prowess into the realm of country, bluegrass and rock and roll all at once, succeeding brilliantly.

I wouldn't particularly recommend this to you unless you are a big fan of PAUL BRETT and acoustic guitar prowess, but, if you do happen upon it smothered in a musty corner by multiple copies of "Interlife" and "Eclipse", you might want to dust it off and go where this man has gone before. 2.5 stars rounded down.

The album is highlighted by the 16-min. sidelong eponymous track, an attempt by Brett to mix acoustic soundscapes with his 12-string guitar with soft electric passages.Resemblances with ANTHONY PHILLPS' and GORDON GILTRAP's works are more than strong.His guitar touch on the electric parts has a light STEVE HACKETT leaning, while his 12-string guitar passages are very dreamy and folky-sounding.All his work is supported by the calm background synths of Derek Austin and, at moments, by Collins' melodic sax work, covering the spectrums of Folk Rock and Prog.This particular style continues on ''Celebration'' and ''Segregation'', a good alternation of acoustic and electric instrumentals with ethereal keyboards and smooth brass sections.''Isolation'' is another instrumental, this time entirely based on Brett's 12-string guitars, very mellow and slightly boring for my tastes.The closing ''Into life'' marks the more psychedelic side of Brett, a groovy Psych Rocker with very interesting guitar work, which also contains a funky piano/keyboard-based middle section.

If you like the works of STEVE HACKETT, ANTHONY PHILLIPS or GORDON GILTRAP, Paul Brett's ''Interlife'' definitely deserves a chance.Cool guitar instrumentals with decent arrangements, played with passion and emotion.Recommended.