THE WINDOW OF LIFE

Window Of Life sounds very much as a logical follow up to the acclaimed The World, and justifiely so. Te production is better, the artwork is more intricated and the songs are more a unit them just a bunch of different ideas thrown together. Wheter if their quality is better than the previous one is debatable. For me both CDs are fantastic and clearly showed how much Pendragon in general and Barrett in particular have evolved.

I really don´t understand some reviews who seem to be written by people who listens to this band just to critisize it and give a bad impression. Take Gates Of Babylon for exemple. Yes, the beginning is quite similar to Floyd´s Shine On Crazy Diamond, but it is not a rip off. To me is just an influence and a good one. Show me someone totaly original and I´ll give up hearing music. But I can understand those guys. When I first heard Marillion they just seemed a Genesis copy. And this applies to Pendragon which, at first, I thought that sounded too much like Marillion! Fortunaltly, I was able to see through those misleading prejudices and found the great band they werer very quickly. Or do you think they´d have all this fame and prestige being just a copycat?

Back on the Windows Of Life: wonderful lush guitar and keyboards interplay, a very tigh and precise rhythm section (Fudge Smith really shines on this CD) and some great tunes that are in Pendragons repertoir to this day. Highlights? Hard to tell, the whole disc is a gem, but let´s point out two of the most beautiful and inspired melodies this band has ever produced: The Spell and Last Man On Earth. Both show how much Pendragon has matured over the years without losing any of their passion and freshness. A classic album that paved the way to one ofthe top progressive bands of all time. Highly recommended!