AIR CUT

Curved Air changed quite a bit after the previous album Phantasmagoria (which happens to be my favorite of theirs). Only Sonja Kristina and Mike Wedgwood remain from that album, but they did manage to score with the addition of a young Eddie Jobson on violin and keyboards.

The album starts with The Purple Speed Queen, a poppy tune, that may make you think that the band has taken a step away from prog rock. But by the third track, the ten minute Metamorphosis you will realize that this is just not so. With Jobson leading the way on keyboards, this track is more traditional symphonic prog than anything from the previous albums.

Armin is reminiscent of Darryl Way's Vivaldi, and shows that Jobson is no slouch in violin, either. U.H.F. is a heavy rocker, with some cool guitar phrasing until it takes a strange turn into an out of place, but not bad, interlude.

I might have to go find the CD version of this one.

By the way, I'm glad for this site, as my LP has absolutely no notes, except the song listing on the record label.