FOUR LETTER MONDAY AFTERNOON

I'll start my review by simply notifuing that I haven't heard the previous releases of OUT OF FOCUS so I can't compare them with this release...Some say that ''Four letter Monday afternoon'' was a big step forward.others say that it was a big step down...But for sure to create a double album with over 90 minutes of music was something unique back in 1972...

The album spins off with ''L.S.B.'' and this track has it all...Jazz rock improvisations,folky flute moments,classic rock influences,even a symphonic touch feel...excellent start...Next comes ''When I'M sleeping'',a beautiful track which lies between classic rock and jazz/blues rock with nice vocals...''Tsajama'' shows another face of the band...weird vocalization with improvisations,a psychedelic feel blendid with jazz/blues.a really strange piece of music...The 2 tracks that close CD 1 are rather weak in my opinion...Clearly influenced by JIM MORRISSON and THE DOORS these tracks seem like a fish out of the water in prog terms...Should fit better in a DOORS album,they aren't bad at all,but they also spoil the prog image of the band...

What about CD 2?...It consist of three lengthy tracks between 10 and 24 minutes which seem like a jazz rock suite,full of improvisations with tons of sax,flute and piano!...The question is:Can anyone listen to 45 minutes of improvisatiob?The answer is yes and no...Yes,because the whole thing seems like heading to somewhere,it's not just abstract music,they seem like complete arrangements with changing moods and climates...No simply because 45 minutes of music improvisations are just too long...

Closing this review I'll rate this release with 3.5 stars and I highly recommend this album to anyone who loves jazz/prog rock or to somebody who wants to broaden his collection with another decent prog rock disc...