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Rare Bird - As Your Mind Flies By CD (album) cover

AS YOUR MIND FLIES BY

Rare Bird

 

Crossover Prog

3.98 | 214 ratings

From Progarchives.com, the ultimate progressive rock music website

ZowieZiggy
Prog Reviewer
4 stars This band offered a good debut album, which should please any keyboards oriented music.

Of course, this one doesn't hold a gem like "Sympathy" but they kept on with the good work. And even if this album is dominated by an epic track, side one of the original album is rather decent (if you would except the short "Down on the floor").

Popish mood for What You Want To Know but not only. Tortured vocals and omni present keyboards (two Rare Bird trade marks) are raising this opening track to high standards.

Some heavy psychedelia during "Hammerhead" instantly reminds us the late sixties during which almost anybody produced such tracks. But this one is really good. Vocals from Steve Gould fitting perfectly here.

And even if "I'm Thinking" starts with difficulties, the instrumental section is quite powerful. It is fully dominated by the keys and the vocal style is again pleasant during this heavy bluesy track.

At this time, we are ready for a long "Flight". An epic of nearly twenty minutes whose instrumental intro is fully in the style which will be developed by ELP later on. The first part "As Your Mind Flies By" holds a fantastic keys duo which is extremely performing. This song can easily be considered as a great prog epic.

Momentum, aerial but intriguing passages, superb and sustained bass, bombastic moments. You got it all there. Vocals are smoother than usual and the crescendo is really building up nicely; as I like it. Some purely psychedelic passages combined with an incredibly strong rhythm are interplaying constantly. At no moment should the listener be bored with this long track which is divided into four parts.

Some experimental work ŕ la Floyd for "Vacuum" (would you believe!) is a bit harder to digest but it is short enough to avoid irritation. It leads to a solid rocking part called "New York". Upbeat rock which introduces the closing section (Central Park which is fully premonitory of what ELP will do later on (the "Boléro" part mixing rock with classical music you know like.).

The only minus point of this epic is probably the lack of consistency; it doesn't really sound as one song. More a collage of four parts put together. But still, it is a very interesting piece of music which has inspired some famous bands.

I would rate this album with four stars. A very good album which fits into any good prog collection.

ZowieZiggy | 4/5 |

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