FRIENDSHIP TIME

After reading Anteater´s enthusiastic review, I was curious enough to seek for this album so I could hear this one shot, very unknown swedish prog act. It took me quite some time to find it but I finally got hold of a copy. And it was worth it! Although I´m not as enthraled by it as my fellow reviewer, this is one hell of a good CD! The first thing I notice qhen I played was the excellent CD sound: Mellotronen has done a terrific job of remastering. The album sounds like something recorded nowadays and not over 30 years ago. Simply brilliant!

But what about the band itself? it is one of those typical cases you keep wondering how big those guys could be if they stayed together and had time and opportunity to develope their sound. They were a progressive quartet and, with only the occacional mellotron run played by the bassist, this is a totally keyboards-less record. The two guitars, bass & drums format may not be very common on the prog scene, but, boy does it it work! It´s all very technical and the songs are all very good. Vocals are only ok, but the real highlights are the tremendous duets/duels with all three guitars (the bass is also a soloing instrument along with those six stringers). It is almost like a jazzed up version of Wishbone Ash (minus the vocal harmonies).

Although some Steve Howe influence can be heard here and there, it is clear that jazz guitar is their main source of inspiration, like Chet Atkins, but this is not a fusion record. This is a prog CD that has some of the most interesting and creative guitar lines I´ve heard in a long time. sometimes very technical (Engine) sometimes very lyrical (Ombadidilio). But always keeping a high standard of songwriting and performances.

As I stated before, it is a pity that those guys didn´t make it in the 70´s. They might have been one of the best prog bands to emerge from that decade if they kept developing such extraordinaire sound. But I´m glad that there were people sensitive enough to reckon this CD´s qualities and release it with such superb remastering. It is a prog lost gem and anyone who considers himself a music lover should listen to it. Rating: 4 to 4,5 stars. Highly recommended it.