DAYS OF FUTURE PASSED

A lot of reviewers seem to debate whether this album is prog, proto-prog, prog-related, post-proto-prog or whatever. To add my two cents to it, this is typically what I would call a badly aged and old-fashioned 67 pop record that sounds as if it comes out of the 50's. Progressive rock is the entire opposite.

In fact I can add little to Mellotron Storm's amusing account of this album. At least three quarters of it is filled with syrupy orchestral pathos, the other quarter is plain pop music, crooner pop even. Some songs are not beyond salvation though, Dawn could have been a fine song in an entirely different arrangement and I'm sure Greg Lake would be tempted at a Chrismas carol version of it. Nights in White Satin is one of those rock rock anthems I have this hate/love relation with, it's excellent but it's overplayed too much and just like Stairway To Heaven for example I don't know if I'll get goosebumps or will simply cringe from it.

Most of the material is unlistenable orchestrated pomposity and I only need one look at the Nice's superb debut to know how classical music can be merged with rock, and it's definitely not with so much cheese as here. File under prehistoric pop.