DRUID

The vocals is my main gripe with this album. The high-pitch tones which is supposed to be the vocals here gets on my nerves. At least Jon Anderson could sing more than one different tone. Druid's vocalist can't. The instrumentation on this album is not particular impressive either. It is YES without the skills. It is YES without the efforts. Nobody can say that YES was boring. DRUID is pretty boring. There is none of this inventive symphonic prog at this album. It is watered down YES, approaching mainstream rock. The first track, Theme and the title track proves that DRUID had something in them. But that's all. Better Going For The One than this album.

2 stars

In fact, the album has lots of beautiful and terrific songs all around. But, I wonder it is sometimes not so good that all songs are okay in an album. That is, I suggest an album should have a mood or wave which can rise and fall. That's exactly an story. Regretfully, this product is continuously beautiful and then I'm afraid it will get monotonous.

Although some listeners say this band is a mimic of Yes, the point is not a mimic but a monotony I think. I wanna give 3 stars to their beauty of sound.

Druid does a pretty melodic form of YES like symphonic prog. The music is easy-listening and almost pop at times. I do not find the music particular intricate. It is symphonic prog for the masses. When that is said, I do not think this album is bad. The two opening tracks is good. But it is very noticeable that Druid is copying YES. Although I would says; watering it down. The complexity and intricate melodies of YES is not there. What remains is very pleasing to the ear, but not the brain. I somehow also feels that I have heard most of this music before and by someone else. I cannot put my finger on it, but there is something familiar on this album.

I like this album for the first three listening sessions. After that, this album lost it's interest and I became bored. But I can understand those who claims it is a hidden gem. Maybe it is. But not for me.

Not bad, but I prefer YES and STARCASTLE.

3 stars.

The second Druid album is written off by some as the weaker one but I'm not sure that is correct. It does feature material that is less connected: the first album has a consistent almost conceptual feel about the tracks whereas this one tries a little bit of this and a little bit of that. But the playing is still top notch, the changes of pace invigorating, and the band's commitment to their sound apparent to me. Had they not folded after this album and had the luxury of taking some time off and having a big budget third album I think Druid could have made a fantastic one. But as it is we are left with two quality documents of a band with much talent and an ability to create something fresh in the same general zone of other 70s symphonic acts.

"Razor Truth" sees the supposed "Yes clones" charging out of the gate with a Styx sound, the vocal so close to DeYoung's voice that you might do a double-take. But it's a good rocking track with a strange quiet interlude in the middle. Pretty good lyrics as well. "Painters Clouds" intros with the big bass sound again and crisp acoustic guitar before some nice electric leads. The mellotron again holds down the background here but the imagery seems just a tad closer to Earth this time around. Dane proves he is a vocal chameleon here by sounding neither Anderson or DeYoung-like, but rather sounding like Dane Stevens. Very high range squealing solo to close it out. "FM 145" shows the first break from the Druid sound to date with a decidedly synth-pop sound to the Styx-like rock track. "Crusade" really tests your cheese limitations with Dane leading a choir of children into a chorus of "la la las" over and again. I really don't mind it but it will be a bigger eye roll for some of you than Cat Stevens ever provided. It turns quite theatrical with a big Queen style section that is robust and jamming. "Nothing but Morning" is another majestic over-the-top thing with organ, arms in the air vocals, and harmonized guitars over huge bass and drums. In some ways the jammy sections here are as Yes-like as anything on the debut, perhaps more so because they are a bit more aggressive. "Barnaby" is another change-up for the chameleon Druid band who I'm beginning to think could have been a very interesting band if they continued. Here they are Steely Dan, laying down Babylon Sisters a few years before the Dan.so does that mean Dan is a Druid clone? Just kidding. But seriously that's what this track reminds me of, sans the girls singing the chorus. "Kestrel" has a lovely solo piano opening that crescendos with a dramatic vocal before the band joins in. It then gets really fast and lively before reverting back to a piano/quiet vocal ending. "Left to Find" is really the anchor of this second album. It is a lovely, brooding, hopelessly romantic piece of symphonic prog as elegant as anything you will find in the period. A cymbal shimmer, bass line, and flute usher in a wavey and peaceful piano melody. Soon Dane begins with clean leads over the piano and it is very beautiful indeed, slow but building emotionally like Sebastian Hardie's best work. The drums and bass slowly up the ante until Dane is forced to turn up his volume as well. Mid way through the band pauses for a brief vocal section that ends with haunting lines, as if Druid as much as knew this moment was their swan song:

Shattered dreams

Broken and left on the table

Breakfast done

Sweep them all away...

After the vocal the flute returns for a beautiful ending with piano as well. This is really the finale, as the last track "Fisherman's Friend" is simply a silly coda of 40 seconds that showed Druid were going out with a sense of humor. They headed out in the Spring of '76 to tour the album but the liner notes say that in the same issues of the rock mags that carried ads for their album and tour, there began to appear buzz for a new group called The Sex Pistols. Their days were numbered.

Most feel that the first album is easily the better one and I thought that initially as well. But after a while I began to appreciate the fact that they were trying some different things on this second one. It doesn't always work but there are enough moments that do to make "Fluid Druid" worth checking out for fans of late 70s proggy pop/rock. One of the few reviewers whose view I share is ProgressiveWorld's Tom Karr who writes "the second disc in this set, Fluid Druid, has a more mature and individual sound. It is slow moving and quite gentle, and has that mellow energy of the first few PFM releases. I think the second disc is superior to the first in some ways. It allows the band to move further afield from the Yes sound of the first album, and the group displays a more solid, yet more sensitive sound than on the first disc, though the material is not as uniformly strong as that of the first CD. In my opinion, all the songs from the first disc were good and more than half the material of the second disc was outstanding and memorable."

I enjoy this band for their reckless sense of playfulness and their great ear for the joy in music. The have a rather naïve approach to things but with that an almost childlike wonder that is now but a moment trapped in their mid 70s story. I think neo-prog fans would do well to check out the ear pleasing Druid sound. Another 3-plus for me but just shy of 4 I think.

The "Yes-clone" debate. I care not to be honest with you. Yes, the vocalist sounds uncannily like Jon Anderson with a very high, gentle voice. Yes, the bassist has a sound that is a bit Squirish. And yes, they have flowery lyrics and a fantasy album cover here. Whether the similarities are intentional or not is for those who care to debate. All I know is I like this album, side 1 is especially good with side 2 not so much. I'll get the criticism out of the way right off the bat: this band has moments of "sweetness" that might be toxic for some. They have the same kind of syrupiness at times that you will find in other 70s 2nd tier bands like Sebastian Hardie, Tai Phong, and Styx. Their composition is not as complex or aggressive as Yes, being more in the gentle modes (usually) somewhere between Moonmadness and Willowglass. So if you bristle at the thought of those kinder, gentler fantasy 70s prog albums you will want to pass. But..

If you like such albums then you will like this one!! I can be awfully cynical myself but if you can swallow the Anderson-like vocals I think this is really good, accessible symphonic. Druid were a band formed by two friends from Berkhamstead who won a Melody Maker contest which awarded them a record deal among other prizes. It would be a blessing and a curse.

The material is very warm and inviting and will pull you right in if you let it. The songs are generally speaking slower and mellower than Yes and less complex than Genesis but are every bit as gorgeous as both. They are very well constructed and focus mainly on being engaging and melodious first, with flash only displayed occasionally. A mellotron lover's dream, the whole album floats on a cloud of 'tron that is used perhaps a bit too much for some. The style is like Sebastian Hardie but a little more varied I think: often the pace is deliberate like SH but I find the payoffs more interesting. I'm never looking at my watch like I do with Hardie who seem so repetitive at times. Druid always has another interesting avenue to pursue around each musical corner. "Voices" begins with an upbeat introduction with Dane and Brewer running riffs off each other. After 3 minutes of rather muscular (by Druid standards) chest beating on the guitars, the lovely mellotron and vocals begin. It then redefines the word you see used a lot to describe this kind of music: lush. The keyboards provide the background along with solid bass guitar for Dane's expressive lead guitar playing, he is quite good in a Latimer way of peeling off emotional leads. "Remembering" builds slowly and beautifully with more amazing, slow leads towards the end. "Theme" sounds very Camelish throughout to me and even throws in a bit of sax and a jazzy e-piano solo. It also features some of Dane's most exciting lead guitar. "Toward the Sun" nicely blends a country vibe into the acoustic opening. The parts are so nicely layered here that you won't care about words like "derivative" if you just love beautiful music. "Red Carpet for an Autumn" is a very nice feather in the cap, just a nice solo piano melody for a bit until the vocal and mellotron pick it up. The first of two 10-minute closing tracks is "Dawn of Evening" and it begins with soft keyboards and gentle wordless vocals until we hear bells being chimed. The band comes in at about two minutes and Dane begins some nice leads. The bass is pretty chunky in the section where the verse begins. The latter section injects some acoustic guitar and a change in the verse structure, plus some nice keyboard effects to spice things up a bit. Dane closes with a nice electric solo. The album ends with "Shangri-La" which is one of the two tracks Druid played in the famous contest that won them their record deal. It's a pleasant and ambitious piece focusing on the journey of one's life and the search for truth, and fulfillment of dreams. While not exactly "The Revealing Science of God" it does showcase the groups obvious talents at nicely arranging their feel-good material with drama and flair.

"Toward the Sun" easily gets 3 stars and I'd go another ½ star perhaps, worth checking out for fans of sweeter 70s symphonic. Side 1 is solid 4 stars but side 2 drags the overall score down a bit. The group went on the road after this album but faced some backlash from winning the contest and had trouble getting press from other publications as they didn't want to tout Melody Maker's find. Druid would make a second album but fold after that as punk emerged. They are not an essential prog experience by my standards but are an enjoyable find for those who have all the essentials and are looking for some new symphonic to enjoy.

This is only for the ones who would like something that sounds like Yes, and doesn´t care that this is an entirely other band. Don´t get me wrong though, the musicians are flawless and the compositions are pretty good. The sound quality is also very good.

I´d say this is very much and aquired taste, and as the quality is as high as it is I can´t give this one less than 3 stars, even though this is not my taste and I find the ripp off concept really lame. Judge for yourself.

I won´t comment on the songs as they are all very nicely composed and played, but only warn you that if you think this will make a nice addition to your Yes collection, don´t go down that road. This will dissapoint you greatly. It´s like a christmas tree made out of plastic, it looks like a real tree, but it sure as hell doesn´t smell like one.

So what should I give this album. My personal opinion would be 2 stars, as I think this is a poor plagiat of Yes, but looked upon objectively this is very well done in terms of musicianship and composition and it deserves 3 stars.

Since their unique source of inspiration is "Yes", and that the originality of the band was not its best asset, they could only repeat their debut album. I was even disappointed with the opening number which only starts in the second half. "Razor Truth" is really boring in its initial phase. Really wonder what the band wanted to achieve there. Fortunately, the closing section is as good as it could be : fully symphonic and aerial music backed up with pleasant Anderson vocals.

Strangely enough, the lead singer, Dane is trying to sing with the same demonstrative vocals as Peter Gabriel during "Cruisade", but with Anderson's voice. Rather a bizarre and totally inappropriate mix. I really don't like this. The ridiculous chorus won't do any good to raise the quality of this song, I'm afraid.

The band is even trying to play a pure "Druid" song for a while! "Nothing But Morning" is probably one of their most original work. Pleasant melody, bombastic all the way through, powerful bass play (reminds me of someone...). My fave so far. Don' t worry, there will be some Howe-ish guitar break as well. As if "Druid" couldn't really write a full song of their own style... "Barnaby" on the contrary is the weakest of all their numbers. A mix of reggae and jazz with awful vocals. What the heck ??? I know that reaggae started to be popular in Europe in those days but this is really out of purpose and poor.

There will also be some short songs that are not really useful like "FM 145", "Kestrel" and the closing "The Fisherman's Friend" which ends after forty-four seconds. Rather bizarre to close an album. As you can read, there is nothing to be over-enthusiastic about this album.

The second good track of this album is "Left To Find". A long and pleasant instrumental intro featuring some beautiful keys and guitar : full of subtlelty, sweetness and harmony. Considering the average quality of this album, it stands out. This melodic intro will leads to a soft vocal part. A bit jazz, but still symphonic. By far the best song of this "Fluid Druid". If only more of this could have been proposed!

Both "Druid" albums have been released in a double CD format. You can get it for less than eleven ? (excluding shipment). So, why not ? But only if you have been through to the "Yes" repertoire so extensively that you are willing to get a bit more of their type of music. But remember, this is "Druid". And it is very much more limited than any one of the great "Yes" albums.

It is true to say that the band lacks in personality but the music proposed is far from being worthless. When I want to listen some MORE "Yes" oriented music, I get a little bit of "TFK" ones. And after these, maybe that some "Druid" songs aren't a bad idea. You won't get the complexity, the sophistication of the genuine masters (but "Druid" does not play in the same division). Only a shadow music which reminds me great moments. One of the most personal number is the intrumental "Theme". Jazzy, aerial and powerful.

All songs are a voyage into Yes" repertoire, that's a given fact. But musicianship is very good (especially vocals). "Towards The Sun" has a definite flavour of "Tales" ("The Remembering") but you can play the same game with several tracks from this album. The highlight is "Dawn Of Evening" and the closing "Shangri-La" is well balanced as well.

In those remote days of this release, I had never heard of "Druid". I guess that there were no needs for this. I was more than happy to play endlessly genuine YesMusic. But since 2003, I am looking for more input and even if this album can't compete with any TRUE YesAlbum, it is a pleasant work and if nostalgia is part of you, you might be as indulgent as I am. Three stars.