Progarchives, the progressive rock ultimate discography
Affinity - Affinity CD (album) cover

AFFINITY

Affinity

 

Eclectic Prog

3.72 | 173 ratings

From Progarchives.com, the ultimate progressive rock music website

friso
Prog Reviewer
4 stars Affinity - s/t (1970)

The review is based on the two bonus-tracks vinyl reprint of the album.

Affinity is one of the most famous infamous bands among vinyl collectors. There is little reason for being an unknown group, for there only albums is quite good. All musicians are professional, the recording is good for the time being, the artwork is strong and the mixture of styles that are presented is original. At first I was blown away by the great vocals of female vocalist Linda Hoyl with a low-pitched voice for a woman. Her jazzy vocal style gives the music a very 'classy' feel. The guitars of Mike Jupp are very good, he has a perfect 1970 hard rock sound and his solo's are good. The rhythmical section also strikes me as very professional. The wind-section reminds me a bit of Chicago, but Affinity uses is more functional in my opinion. The wind-section is often used to 'thicken' the harmonic structures. The key's remind me a bit of Colosseum.

The composition of Affinity are quite remarkable. Their mix of jazz and rock is perhaps better then Chicago on it's best. This is due to the stylish sound of the band. Mr. Joy stands out as a very provocative track about a 'toy', but the composition of the song is also very atmospheric. The performance of Linda Hoyl is very courageous here. Three Sisters is one of my favorite tracks of the album because it's a very catchy jazz-rocker with great vocals and powerful arrangements. The main riff reminds me a bit of Led Zeppelin. The long version of All Along the Watchtower is quite progressive and very atmospheric. The solo's are good.

Conclusion. This album features a warm combination of hard-rock, improvisational rock, jazz- rock, vocal jazz and some psychedelic vibes. Perhaps the album has no outstanding moments, but it's satisfying throughout and the two bonus-tracks are also a good extra. A very good addition for fans of early hard rock and jazz-rock. Also recommended to collectors of rare music. Four stars.

friso | 4/5 |

MEMBERS LOGIN ZONE

As a registered member (register here if not), you can post rating/reviews (& edit later), comments reviews and submit new albums.

You are not logged, please complete authentication before continuing (use forum credentials).

Forum user
Forum password

Share this AFFINITY review

Social review comments () BETA







Review related links

Copyright Prog Archives, All rights reserved. | Legal Notice | Privacy Policy | Advertise | RSS + syndications

Other sites in the MAC network: JazzMusicArchives.com — jazz music reviews and archives | MetalMusicArchives.com — metal music reviews and archives

Donate monthly and keep PA fast-loading and ad-free forever.