Progarchives, the progressive rock ultimate discography
England - The Imperial Hotel CD (album) cover

THE IMPERIAL HOTEL

England

 

Symphonic Prog

3.25 | 34 ratings

From Progarchives.com, the ultimate progressive rock music website

Joolz
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
3 stars This an interesting little gem if you can find it, a Prog 'epic' originally recorded in 1975 but not released until resurrected for a Japanese tour by the revived band in July 2006 [actually, a couple of dates at Club Citta in Tokyo!] and issued as a free handout to concert-goers to mark the occasion. England's only original album was released in 1977 - a melodic-symphonic classic - so this represents an earlier phase in the band's history. Compared to The Garden Shed album, this is a single track of pure Symphonic Prog, full of twists and turns, mood and tempo changes forming a very satisfying whole based on discrete interconnecting sections - musically more Supper's Ready than Close To The Edge though!

While its aspirations are clear, The Imperial Hotel is less sophisticated than the later album with some glaring shortcomings: songwriting is not strong enough, especially an ability to construct memorable melodies and hooks; the band members can play their instruments well enough, but in several places are let down by a weak arrangement or lack of decisive editing - the later album [recorded the following year] would show a quantum leap in basic grasp of song dynamics and construction; vocally, it doesn't hold a candle to the rich tapestries of harmony on The Garden Shed; though remastered in 2005, sound quality is no better than 'acceptable', sometimes being a little muddy especially in the bass [I believe the basslines are recent additions to the recording].

Despite its obvious flaws, this is an entertaining disc containing a wealth of ideas that provide an insight into England's early development, though a little over-ambitious and naive for a fledgling band to attempt such an adventurous project. Oh, and don't expect a blast of Mellotron - organ [presumably Hammond] is the all conquering keyboard here!

Joolz | 3/5 |

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 ENGLAND 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.