SCATTERED PAGES

"Scattered Pages" is German band's "For Your Pleasure" debut album, the infancy of a future career that will lead to a tasteful second album in 2000 and a spectacular Margin debut in 2014! All along, Berliner Lutz Meinert has handled the vocals (being accused and at times pilloried for having a voice similar to Ian Anderson, Peter Gabriel, Tony Mansfield and Neil Tennant). Yeah, and? This inauguration does come with some disclaimers which were well addressed by my respected colleague Apostolis who, to be frank, did not like this at all. As is often the case with first expressions, there are some inconsistencies that may prove troublesome for many fans. I would only like to place any criticism into context. Firstly 1993 was not exactly prog's heyday, quite the opposite. Only the Sahara and the Gobi were bigger deserts than prog! Lean and not quite mean years. Lutz is joined by 'Greeko' aka Georgios Zikidis on electric and acoustic guitars, who does a first rate job throughout.

The disc starts rather promisingly with the expansive "Another Future" which combines electronic drums and 'cheesy' plastic keyboards that parallel the Paul Vettese era in Jethro Tull, which gave way to disparagingly mauled albums such as " Under Wraps" and Anderson's otherwise brilliant IMHO "Walking in Light" , albums that I personally have enjoyed despite (or perhaps because of) the critical backlash. The playing is profound as Greeko does some wonderful damage on acoustic guitar. Hey, it sounds like 1993 because it's from 1993. Sehr gut.

Where things may get sketchy for some is the pseudo-funk-pop of "This Game" which almost veers into Fiction Factory/Naked Eyes/ABC new Wave disco (bands that I enjoyed back when there was little prog on the menu) . The bouncy arrangement is very predictable and obvious, instant gratification but with only a slight prog tendency (that would be the fiery guitar solo and the 'spinning coin' effect). Gut!

"The Painterman" is breezy and utterly disposable, a tune with little or no prog content save for a corny orchestral section that is puerile at best (nothing wrong with childlike, after all New Muzik was an awesome and creative synth-pop band in the 80s). But this is a cup of tea that needed a longer steep. Even the axe solo is trivial. Nicht gut!

Back to quality with the longer and more developed "November Day", an inspired acoustic guitar carves a gorgeous almost Andalusian melody, evoking castles in Castile and a lead guitar solo that is enthralling and explosive. This is an all-instrumental effort that exudes class, majestic power and long shelf life. The piece flows effortlessly and basks in a sunny grandeur. A definite highlight track. Ausgezeichnet!

Return to Jethro Tull for a second, as Lutz displays a voice eerily Andersonian, some will call plagiarism (please, let's not go there, as everything is borrowed from a previous source) but it all depends on the delivery and the content, both above average indeed. "Only We Are Trying to Be" could fool any JT fan into believing this to be along lost track from The "Broadsword & the Beast" sessions. Wirklich gut!

The 6 minute+ "The Perfect Single" is a return to the foreseeable which perhaps explains the tongue in cheek title. The instrumental parts are very convincing, with solid bass and great psychedelic guitar, propulsive drums and a driving disposition. The problem is with the singing which is less conclusive and the lyrics that verges on, as Zappa once so adequately put it, 'creamed corn'! Okay!

With a title like "I Want You Now", the prog purists will be instantly turned off, especially when they read the lyrics. Even the guitar part is, well, simple. There is zero invention here. Ach, nächste Haltestelle! (next station)

Another long instrumental comes charging through the woods, like Blücher at Waterloo, saving the battle from near defeat and reversing the fortunes of this disc, once again. "Standing On Changing Sunset" sees itself to be at the polar opposite of the previous pop, a modern synth-infused track that owes its inspiration from Anderson's afore mentioned "Walking Into Light" album and is the most progressive piece here. I am sure that if this would have been the basic premise, the album would have been more appreciated by prog fans, as this is a somber, effusive, expansive and most creative piece. Wunderbar!

"A Short Letter" as the title implies, is a brief ditty, owing to the Tull song experience once again. It comes and it goes. Danke schön!

The majestic 8 minute + "The Damaged Book' again showcases the see-saw battle between the two contrasting styles, a polar opposite to the previous ode, here preferring a brooding, dense and oppressive mood , armed with smart lyrics and funeral march. Synths hover over a solemn beat, dreamy and vaporous like some foggy mist creeping in from the multiple lakes that adorn the German capital city. A classic track that will join my daily playlists. Schatz!

Auf wiedersehen is expressed by a small reprise of "November Day" on keys instead of guitar.

So, as is often the case with a debut work, there is a pot-pourri of styles, befitting a band looking for some identity, dropping various fishing lines to see which will get a bite. Having Tull as an influence is certainly nothing to be ashamed of but the cheesy pop songs are somewhat embarrassing in hindsight. The mixed bag offers tasty morsels as well as disposable fodder. The best is yet to come.

3.5 Fluttering sheets