ROGER POWELL

The first side of the album is dominated by three power pop ballads, Landmark, Windows (which also appeared on a Utopia album) and the fantastic Emergency Splashdown. While this album side is good, there is just too much of what Utopia was becoming at the time.

Side 2 of the LP is more like I was hoping for. It's full of beautiful keyboard work, amazing sounds and progressive compositions. If the entire album was like this it would have earned a much higher rating.

This album was the first of Powell's all too infrequent solo albums. Released in 1973 on the once proud Atlantic Records label, it showcases Powell playing in a style somewhat different than what his fans who know him from his work with Todd Rundgren and Utopia may be used to.

The underlying style, not surprising considering the year it was produced, is similar to what Tangerine Dream was doing at the time, mostly hypnotic swirling synthesized rhythm tracks, with solos on top. But it's in the solos that Powell stands out. He was able, long before the use of samplers, to capture the spirit of guitar and saxophone solos, creating a recognizable sound, while also retaining much of the keyboard feeling as well. I presume this may have had something to do with Rundgren signing him on two years later hor the Utopia project.

I must say that this album has become one of my favorite electronic albums since the day I found it in a record store. I see that it has been released on CD. I must upgrade my copy.