TOMORROW NEVER COMES - THE ANTHOLOGY 1969-2006

Well you have to commend Chris Simpson the founder member of Magna Carta in putting this Anthology double disc set out. For a band secured by a devout loyal fan base who have bought about 8 million albums since inception, this was a very shrewd release by Magna Carta. It covers almost 40 years of nearly their finest music albeit some newer versions taking the original's place. For instance ' Forever' from Prisoners On The Line is now sung by Simpson's wife Linda Simpson who has collaborated with the band since 1983. The original version is better but Linda Simpson's vocals are excellent and do contribute nicely to the refresh.The overall production and sound quality is very good too. Notably the glaring omissions from ' Tomorrow Never Knows is the epic ' Lord Of The Ages ' song off the same titled album and the 20 minute classic ' Seasons'. This in turn has been segmented throughout the album.' Sting In The Gin' is a true classic of later Magna Carta sound not disimilar to Dire Straits from the Communique era. Most notable songs are ' Two Old friends Of Mine', the chilling but beautiful 'Father John' and ' Winterlude' which show off Simpson's unique progressive folk sound and highly skilled song writing ability. This is one of those rare compilation albums that works, thirty eight songs in total make for a well presented Anthology the only downside as mentioned are the omissions of some songs. Overall an excellent album and a great starting point for any new enthusiasts looking at prog folk more in depth.