THE WINSTONS

3.5 stars. I do have the DVD as well but haven't watched it. One of the biggest surprises of 2016 for me was THE WINSTON's self titled debut. An Italian trio sounding like an early 70's Canterbury band and sounding so authentic. It's mainly because of the vocals which are very Wyatt-like but organ and drums lead the way here long with those vocals. This live record was released the same year as the studio album and is 68 minutes long including that bonus track. Right from the first spin I felt this recording sounded a little flat. It was missing that energy that so many bands have when playing live as they feed off the crowd. It sounds like there's a dozen people in the audience, there's probably way more than that but I don't know. The studio album has this bright and passionate sound to it and I find that that is missing here.

Love all the black and white photos in the liner notes, especially the ones where the band members are smoking their cigarettes. It's refreshing to see. I don't smoke tobacco but am old enough to remember when smokers had it made. You walk into a restaurant with clouds of smoke as almost everyone is smoking including the waitress and cook. Just a different time where smoking was glorified in the movies and all the cool people did it. So yes it's no surprise that the opener is "Nicotine Freak" haha. A top three and sounding almost perfectly like the studio version to start and when it kicks in with vocals I'm smiling. A catchy and energetic start like you want with a live opener.

This is a very playful album and the band thanks Wyatt, Allen, Hopper and Waters in the liner notes among others. "She's My face" is a top three with the opening strummed guitar as beats and vocal melodies join in, organ too then vocals. A jazzy vibe to this one. Fun stuff. I'm a huge fan of "Number Number" as well. Just a more serious sound to my ears and the vocals are completely different. It brightens some a minute in with vocal melodies and organ leading as drums beat away. I just like those organ sounds on here more, again a more serious vibe. Themes are repeated. Sung and partly composed by Japanese artist Gun Kawamura who did the backdrop for the stage that night and the cover art on the debut album. He also helped compose "Diprotodon" and those two songs have japanese titles besides the english ones.

I just get a lot more enjoyment out of the studio album which I consider to be a top 30 Canterbury album by the way. Still it hurts not giving that fourth star as there's so much good stuff on here. And I'm not a big fan with the way it ends with "Tarmac" a stripped down version of the band with vibes, vocals and piano only, just sayin'.

Released about a half a year following their debut LP, The Winstons (also 2016), this is a standalone single.

"Golden Brown" starts off with a sort of classical, sort of circus-esque organ, the instrument of greatest sway (I say praise be). The vocals are clear and classic. This, like much on their debut, feels like it very well could have been written at the end of the 1960s. Just great Baroque/Psychedelic Pop-Rock, like The Zombies or The Pretty Things. This is a great track.

Its 'B-side', "Black Shopping Bag", feels at first like Post-Progressivism at the crossroads of Psychedelia. Minimal organ is matched with vocals. I was immediately impressed with, assuming there is one, their main/lead vocalist (perhaps they really are all that good haha). Minimal still, it opens up with increased drums and lovely backing vocals. Certainly still in that psychedelic, spacy vein, it slowly builds and builds. It feels optimistic. Once again, all the vocals are just wonderful. Around the midpoint it builds to a totally new rhythm. Sinister and now featuring saxophone perhaps most immediately reminiscent to me of VdGG's David Jackson... There is something that's reminiscent, too, of... perhaps... Argent or early Pink Floyd. It's hard to exactly place, so, to me, great job! This song is and then, at its close, is not haha. It just ends. But I'm very satisfied in that.

All I have to say is I'm very impressed. Check it!

The 2016 debut LP by this Italian band, The Winstons being clear-cut students of early Prog Rock. I had no expectations, and yet I did sort of take my time getting to listening to them for the first time (here)--took my time moreso than usual, that is. To describe this merely as "Canterbury Scene" is perhaps a tad misleading, but that does feel like their stylistic home base.

It all starts off spacy and ethereal on "Nicotine Freak"... Creepy use of an organ drone with beautiful group vocals and a far-off saxophone solos along. A wicked and satisfying groove lightly sets the track ablaze. I would say this does fit into a very broad category of Psychedelic revivalism of the last, say, 20 years or so. Great opener. Much more classic, early-70s Prog ideations on "Diprotodon". Largely organ-driven, but also just rhythmically steady, with the rolling and low bass alongside the simple drum patterns. Dark and well balanced, this track strikes me, mostly, as a sort of modern Artsy/Experimental Garage Rock. In the latter half, the feeling shifts to something reminiscent to the works of Didier Malherbe of Gong. Excellent reeds work! Very interesting stuff. Highly recommend this'n.

A shift in feeling further darkens to an early-KC vibe on "Play with the Rebels". Some of the clearer recorded vocals are here and... I just realized each member is slated as vocalist. Regardless, a great vocal performance. Low and slow, yet intriguing. What I would take to be the refrain is very much rooted in Psychedelic Baroque Pop of the late-60s. Excellent melodies and really very cool, lasting instrumentation. I was just listening to The Zombies, so my mind does actually go to them here. More classic late-60s feeling in the form of "Blue Jay Way"-esque organ and droning on "... On a Dark Cloud". Very effective mood-setting here. [Thus far, I was blown away by what I had been hearing. This is right up my alley.] I will say here, the bass-playing is less notable than any other component, feeling to me like a bit of an afterthought. The drums on the other hand are an excellent showcase of post-Ringo, (perfectly) sloppy tom-roll drag. The track builds steadily. I'm always impressed when a band can take a simple theme and, in the case of this song, ride it out for (the first four) minutes on end and keep it interesting. It is around this midpoint, where it slows and opens up, with Roberto D'Azzan's tasteful trumpet feature. And is this then "Arabesque" on the backend? Lovely stuff. Also, again, creepy. Well did.

"... On a Dark Cloud" falls away and "She's My Face" trills in from nothingness. There was something that reminded me of... Caravan? But also back to the sort of Zombies feel of "Play with the Rebels", with the simple rhythm section and organ matched with just as simple, super clear vocals. It psyches out in the mid, with a sort of optimistic circus-like lilt. On "A Reason for Goodbye", I suppose this is more the early works of Caravan or Soft Machine coming out clearest, if we're serious about the Canterbury idiom being represented here (and I would be). But also here, next to the beautiful, enchanting saxings, are almost Beach Boys-level group vocals. Nearing minute 2, the tune picks up. Heavier here and with more sax soloing as well as some jazzy Rhodes. It's this sort of blaze in the middle that reminded me of actually Canterbury contemporaries Syd Arthur [I recall being... frustrated(?) that they were immediately called "Canterbury Scene" when the nearest thing that tied them to it was their Psychedelic freakout/space-out sections... Still, good. I'm sure there's some Kentish in there, but they don't compare in this way to what The Winstons were able to accomplish and show off here.]

The Gong and early Soft Machine feel is back in fullest swing on the fun "Dancing in the Park with a Gun", which as it progresses turns rightfully sinister. I definitely had to look at the title of this track again haha. This middle section has a simple, but frightening intensity that's rather hard to explain. It's unnerving and yet almost a headbanger haha. Definitely a surer highlight. Fantastic. "Viaggio nel suono a tre dimensioni", funny enough, has a riff that straight up sounded like something by the aforementioned Syd Arthur. Very fun. This is a very straight-ahead number, with rolling rhythm section and big 'n' wide organ. It ends with some... wild dog barks! It then runs right into the vocal "cymbal hits" on "Tarmac"... a low and slow number with acoustic piano in what sounds like a vaulted room, with big reverberating chords. The vocals are in a higher register as earlier (yet not so specifically mentioned), reminiscent of Robert Wyatt. Seriously this is much like Wyatt's queer poetic stylings and verbal stressing. So, if you're a fan of his, this should do it for you.

"Tarmac" falls away to nothingness, and for what I can only describe as a fairly uncomfortable amount of time. So the start of the final track, "Number Number" to follow, feels very sudden. These gois sure do know what they're doing, in my estimation. This is a rolling Psych Pop number, with sort of jazzy keys over groovin' rhythm. Groovy, yet tense.

Overall, this debut is a solid showcase of modern Psyhedelic music, ultimately progressive, interest-holding and jazzy. I look forward to digging all the more now!

28th January, 2022: The Winstons - Smith (canterbury scene, 2019)

A peculiar bit of anachronism - a record from 2019 that calls in majority back to the early 70's Canterbury scene of progressive rock. And they're from Italy. But I feel like there is a place for some Canterbury influence in modern music, as the kind of humour and whimsy of those bands can be found in a lot of modern indie. The Winstons aren't a pure clone - bits of this are more Tame Impala than Soft Machine, and I think the combination of the jazzy and fun old school prog with modern production is a nice one.

6.0 (2nd listen)

Part of my listening diary from my facebook music blog - www.facebook.com/TheExoskeletalJunction

4/5, absolutely no more and no less.

This album reminds me of Robert Wyatts whole career taken and blended up, then left to simmer in a barrel somewhere. Along the way some things break down, become ~indie rock~ and in 2016 you got The Winstons.

Nicotine Freak opens politely then becomes one of the more rocking tracks on the album with pretty catchy vocals (most of the vocals on here). It's a solid track but definitely one of the ones I like less due to the singing style on it. Diprotodon is sung in Japanese which pleases my ears and has some lovely Saxophone moments.For track three I don't really like the verse but I like the chorus and the bridge is a wonderfully distorted reward. On A Dark Cloud opens with sounds and builds to a powerful vocal section that climaxes, then floats for a bit, has a false end then closes with 1 minute of excellent instrumental work. She's My Face has an American lounge singer quality, it's a nice brief track. A Reason For Goodbye is the most Soft Machine track on the album, opening with what actually sounds like Joy Of A Toy. While it briefly has some vocals reminiscent of Nicotine Freak (albeit better) this track is mostly a dark instrumental with fun changes that really show why this album is filed under Canterbury Scene. Dancing In The Park With A Gun has nice delicate vocals and a bridge on par with the previous track. I have one minor fault with this song which is the vocals before the instrumental part strike me as unnecessary. Track 8 opens and closes with Italian talking. In between that is 2:30 of distorted keyboard playing. Tarmac closes the album, this one is a bit boring, I think the previous song would have made a better closer. Number Number is a bonus track that's like Diproton but a tad worse due to inferior instrumentation.

Overall this is a great album, I think fans of early Soft Machine/Robert Wyatt would get a kick out of this album. Definitely expect a strong Indie Rock influence though. Canterbury Sound Score 3/5

How did I miss the follow-up to the absolutely delightful Winston's debut from 2016, one of the most beloved albums of the year on this very website? Is it possible that everybody who loved that album missed this one, evidenced by ZERO reviews over a year after release and only 21 ratings? How about the fact that this album is better in every way? Could I continue an entire opening full of questions like, how is a group from 2016 based out of Italy considered "Canterbury Scene", before noticing Richard Sinclair on vocals and wondering what on earth have I missed?

The Winstons are a trio from Italy that, if I had to draw two comparisons, I would say they sound like a cross between Van Der Graff Generator and The Zombies. This is a collection of fun songs that never get boring and stick in your head for days. If you enjoyed their debut, you will love this. A few highlights; Tamarind Smile/Apple Pie is so cool. Around a Boat truly evokes the feeling of being "surrounded on both sides by open seas". Blue Traffic Light shows the full potential of this band... I get memories of Camel, Caravan, even so far as 80s Cardiacs. Richard Sinclar returns for "50 years of songs about insecurities with women" with "Impotence", and it's just as good as any Caravan song just with a rambling old man. This is not a bad thing. Soon Everyday is my favourite on the whole album though... I can't get enough. Rocket Belt at the end would be a great single, I don't know who Nic Cester is offhand but he is a good addition to the band.

This is great fun. Highly recommended to fans of Camel, VDGG, Cardiacs and Caravan.

Italian group The Winstons made an instant splash with their 2016 self-titled debut, a thrilling disc that seemed to come out of nowhere and sounded like the greatest Canterbury pop album never actually released in the Sixties or Seventies, and one that complimented the first two Soft Machine albums beautifully too. The trio - Lino Gitto, Roberto Dell'Era and Enrico Gabrielli - have kept fans waiting for a proper follow-up, although a cool DVD `Live in Rome' popped up soon after, but that stalling continues with another new live release in 2018, one that actually predates the original LP and first DVD by originating from a 2015 concert performance! What exactly are these screwy time-travelling loons up to?!

Mussorgsky's classical suite `Pictures at an Exhibition' has most famously been adapted in prog-rock circles by (among others) electronic composer Isao Tomita and legendary symphonic innovators Emerson, Lake & Palmer at the start of the Seventies, but here the modern Italian group ambitiously approach it in their own unexpected way, alongside collaborators Roberto De Gennaro on vibraphone/percussion and violinist Roberto Izzo. It's quite a departure from the spiky psychedelic colour and fuzzy playing that would appear on their debut, but their other musical guests here add a gentle experimental avant-garde flavour, and it makes for a curious reimagining of the original piano compositions.

Looking at some of the highlights, opening theme `Promenade' is given a sedate then defiant violin and piano presentation, but quickly the tiniest of little psychedelic tinges start to creep in, and within seconds `The Gnome' is battered by runaway electric piano and murky fuzz organ, maddening vibraphone and endlessly rambunctious drumming storms. The short `Lead Me from Tortured Dreams' vocal passage is given a charmingly accented reading, a shimmering and dreamy melancholy drifts through `Il Vecchio Castello' and `Bydło' pounds with a stalking malevolence. `Ballet of Unhatched Chicks' quickly turns mischievous and playful, `Samuel Goldenberg und Schmu'le' is a loopy mix of scratchy violin, percolating keys and manic vibraphone tinkling, and `Limoges, le March' (La Grande Nouvelle)' prances with searing violin slivers.

`Catacomb' (Sepulcrum Romanum)' bristles with staccato organ and violin stabs, `Promenade (Allegro Giusto)' is a glistening dream-like lullaby and the strident and up-tempo `The Hut of Baba Yaga' brings a touch of psych by attacking with manic piano races, stuttering fuzzed-out bass and thrashing drums. Final reprise `The Great Gates of Kiev' proves the most surprising moment - after a roaring defiant farewell vocal, with band launch into cooing soft harmonies and then drift into an effortlessly cool Canterbury-flecked chilled psych jam, but sadly it's only brief yet very teasingly hints at some of the direction the band would head into on their first album.

This is a very curious release for the trio. It's not the psych-rock blowout we next wanted to hear from them, and oddly their performance even sounds far more subdued than the toughness and noise of ELP's more well-known version. That surprise aside, they've swapped it with an elegant and deeply atmospheric sensibility that proves very dignified and thoughtful without ever becoming a stuffy and lifeless mere classical interpretation. It's only disappointing from the perspective of perhaps the expectation that they would have attacked the piece with a frantic and looser psych-rock approach.

`Pictures at an Exhibition' can hardly be considered an essential Winstons release, but perhaps it can be looked on as just another fascinating fragment of their musical minds that might even possibly infiltrate into other corners of their sound in the future, assuming that much-craved second album does eventually show up!

Three stars for Winstons fans, but really, anything other than four stars for the talent on display here would be grossly insulting.

4.25 stars, a strong debut album! I listen to this one regularly now, it really suits all moods I could find myself in. It's dreamy and poppy and strongly influenced by the Canterbury scene. Straight away "Nicotine Freak" brings you in a few different directions before settling into a groove and sweet vocal melodies, the core of the group's sound seeming to come from a bass/drums/keyboards trio. It isn't long before we hear horns that remind one of Hatfield and the North or Camel, however, and the band keeps the surprises coming the whole album. How about the bizarre yet somehow radio-ready "She's My Face", or what I think is the strongest track "A Reason for Goodbye" which sounds like the Zombies had a jam with Anekdoten, only to be interrupted 2 minutes in by dueling saxophones. No matter what type of music you like, this is worth a look. Inspired yet original, sounding enough like artists of the past without being a copy, bringing something new to an old table perhaps.

THE WINSTONS for me have been a breath of fresh air in 2016. These three Italians share a love for Canterbury and late sixties psychedelia and have created an album that honours these styles of music. I have to say I wondered if this would be a paint by numbers record but man, not even close. By "paint by numbers" I mean trying to make an album that ticks the right boxes but not really knowing and loving the music like I felt Todd Rundgren did with his UTOPIA project that really felt to me like he was just trying to jump on the band-wagon. THE WINSTONS have really captured that Canterbury spirit I'll say that, and it's easy to tell they love this type of music because of the lengths they went to do it right. The little nods to certain bands and albums really brought me joy.

The cover art certainly conveys that joy and it was done by Japanese artist Gun Kawamura and it's so surreal along with the other art work that comes with this album. Oh, and Gun also wrote the lyrics to two tracks and THE WINSTONS actually sing those two tracks in Japanese! Love the distorted organ and keys, so good! Back to the band, these three multi-instrumentalists/ vocalists are well known in Italy's Indie scene playing in different bands yet touring across Italy with each other doing a series of concerts with their respective bands. These guys are long time close friends who I think have played their share of Canterbury and Psychedelic records.

"Nicotine Freak" is infectious to say the least. The focus is on the multi-vocals to start, some organ as well. A horn joins in before 1 1/2 minutes as the vocals step aside until before 2 minutes then it kicks in with a fairly heavy beat and pulsating organ. Man this sounds incredible! The vocals join in with harmonies. I love this track. "(Diprotodon)" is the first track with the Japanese lyrics. I like the melancholic organ/ drum intro as the vocals and horns kick in. The vocals do stop as the organ solos before 1 1/2 minutes and the drums continue but not for long as the horns and vocals return. A change before 2 1/2 minutes as the drums, bass and horns lead the way. The vocals and horns are back. "Play With The Rebels" opens with flute and man I'm in heaven right here as the bass and drums help out then the reserved vocals join in. The chorus is more powerful and quite uplifting as contrasts continue. I like the pulsating organ before 2 1/2 minutes.

"...On A Dark Cloud" opens with organ and atmosphere then it starts to pick up some, trumpet here too. I like this a lot. The vocals join in after 2 1/2 minutes sounding very Robert Wyatt-like. It then drifts off with organ, horn, a beat and vocal melodies as this is all repeated over and over. Nice. It then starts to wind down before we get a 1 1/2 minute instrumental to end it. The ending by the way is really cool as we get this excellent instrumental display including organ, flute, piano and drums. "She's My Face" has pulsating organ as bass, horns and a beat join in then vocals. So 60's sounding. Love it! We get a calm before 2 minutes with organ, vocals and more. A scream after 2 1/2 minutes as it kicks back in without vocals this time. Check out the guitar after 3 minutes! It then kicks back in with vocals.

"A Reason For Goodbye" is a fairly relaxed tune with vocals that come and go and more. Horns lead before 1 1/2 minutes as the they join in this instrumental section. The tempo starts to pickup and the horns blast before 2 1/2 minutes. Check out the electric piano, bass and driving beat that follows. The vocals return at 4 minutes then they stop as it gets fairly heavy with horns. "Dancing In The Park With A Gun"is such an uplifting and feel-good tune with those whimsical vocals and sound. A change before 2 minutes though as it changes completely to an experimental sound then this urgent rhythm takes over. It's experimental again when the rhythm stops at 3 1/2 minutes. It's spacey and insane at the same time. A melody is back at 4 1/2 minutes as the drums, electric piano, bass, and horns lead the way until the end.

"Viaggio Nel Suono A Tre Dimensioni" opens with sampled spoken words in Italian before this surprisingly heavy guitar kicks in then a full sound with pulsating organ. The organ starts to light it up then it all stops around 3 minutes as the sampled spoken words return. Dogs are barking along with many strange and experimental sounds. "Tarmac" is slow moving with melancholic piano and a repetitive but slow beat. Vocals are mournful bringing Wyatt to mind. It ends with floating organ and a beat. "Number, Number" is the final track and the other song with Japanese lyrics. There's lots of depth with organ over the top as multi-vocals join in and they are relaxed. A bass horn joins in as well. It turns uplifting before 2 minutes with vocals then the tempo picks up around 3 1/2 minutes, piano as well.

THE WINSTONS did something really special here in my opinion. I think it's funny that these three guys go by the pseudonyms of Linnon Winston, Enro Winston and Rob Winston. They certainly are brothers when it comes to music.

Don't even think that this version of THE WINSTONS is the American funk and soul band that scored a top 10 hit way back in 1969. This band of the same name may SOUND like they've been sent here through a time machine from the past but they are in reality a contemporary animistic assembly of like minded individuals adamantly and unapologetically putting the CAN back in the Canterbury Scene by channeling the classics of the past while whipping up the whimsey, rousing the zeitgeists of the jazz-rock rabble and simultaneously sewing the different seeds of the 60s together into so far unforeseen ways thus proving (along with a few other contemporaries such as Amoeba Split) that the classic sounds of Soft Machine, Robert Wyatt, Gong and Caravan have long since left the jurisdiction of the River Stour in the English historic cathedral city and has in this case possessed three indie rock Italians from the modern metropolis of Milan. This power trio are all multi-instrumentalists going by the pseudonyms of Linnon Winston (Lino Gitto - vocals, organ, drums), Rob Winston (Roberto Dell'Era - vocals, bass) and Enro Winston (Enrico Gabrielli - organ, sax, bass clarinet, electric piano) but there is also a fourth guest musician: Roberto D'Azzan who brings some mean trumpet to this party!

Let the raucousness commence! As it all begins as an early Soft Machine reference with Robert Wyatt intonations then quickly leads to an organ drone with a sultry sax seeping in. Soon thereafter the organs are joined by the bass and it's party time! A beefy brash bass bellows out a grooviliscious pop hook with a Syd Barrett era Pink Floyd keyboard run that screams 1967 and the Summer Of Love with Soft Machine harmonies creating a melodious cantabile and oh yeah! Did i mention that organ? Perhaps the strongest instrument on board doubling as a time machine to the swinging 60s. This is a pure Canterbury tribute on this one with healthy doses of 60s psychedelic and garage rock all dancing happily together around the campfire with visions of paisley and tie-dye along for the ride. I can smell the patchouli! This is some serious retro-prog let loose and it's utterly amazing how this self-titled debut by THE WINSTONS gives nary a clue to the true time and date when this was released a mere five decades later in 2016.

While the two starters are hellbent on psychedelic 60s cross-pollinating with all things Canterbury Scene, the beauty of this album is how different the ten tracks laid out are from one another. "Play With The Rebels" brings more of a Procal Harum vibe to the mix while "...On A Dark Cloud" eschews the short song norm of the album for a longer more jam based psychedelic freakout frenzy. Once again the organs debut the oscillating rhythm while the bass picks up allowing the trumpet to add a slight Mariachi feel to the mix. And this just wouldn't be a proper Canterbury Scene genre inclusion if it didn't contain ample amounts of whacked out whimsy and adroit crapulous quirkiness. The first noticeable head scratching moment comes from the two tracks written and sung in the Japanese language. "カンガルー目 (Diprotodon)" and "番号番号 (Number Number)" were in fact written and by Gun Kawamura who also created the mondo bizarro album cover artwork and with hysterically named tracks such as "She's My Face" and "Dancing In The Park With A Gun," you can almost taste a Daevid Allen seal of approval.

While nostalgic purists may find this album in bad taste and too derivative of sacred cows, i find THE WINSTONS to take many puzzle pieces of the past and simply place these elements side by side in fresh creative ways. The Canterbury Scene is amongst progressive rocks greatest treasure trove of musical gems and oft cited as one of true prog lover's most beloved subgenres, therefore it seems quite the shame that this particular quirkily subset of jazzy rock has nearly gone extinct in recent decades. THE WINSTONS prove beyond a doubt that it is indeed possible to pay tribute to all the greats who came before and still come up with new ways of breathing some resuscitated life into the oldies but goodies. Brash and daring yet respectful and reverent. Despite not being English themselves, THE WINSTONS achieve in going to where even native Brits have gone over the years in faithfully capturing all those wonderful sounds that erupted in the 1960s UK without missing a beat.