WAR DANCE

This was the last of a trio of albums by the line up of Jon Hiseman (drums) , Don Airey (keys) , Gary Moore( guitars and vocals) and John Mole (bass). This was 1977 and punk was in full flight so the kind of music this band were making was almost as far removed from 'trendy' as you could possibly get. But of course we don't care about that! The music is complex but always concise with never a moment wasted. Jazz rock fusion played with tons of energy and invention. The previous album Electric Savage had the great tracks Intergalactic Strut and The Scorch but overall lacked a cohesiveness to make it a truly satisfying listen. This on the other hand feels a like a step forward and a more complete work. Best track for me is The Inquistion. Moore demonstrates some ability on Spanish guitar playing at a hundred mile an hour. It has a mean hook that will bury itself in your brain and never leave. Perhaps the other stand out track is Castles which is the only vocal track on the album. Gary Moore shows what a great vocalist he was developing into and this was to stand him in great stead for his future blues albums.

Overall this is an excellent album and its a shame they didn't stay together much longer except to help a certain Andrew Lloyd Webber for his prog adventure (check it out!).