MANDALABAND II - THE EYE OF WENDOR: PROPHECIES

Right, Sean, 'overblown' is exactly the word to describe this album. (Hayward & Lodge's Blue Jays album is to me overproduced the same way as this one.) That's really a shame, because it could have been a wonderful concept and a collaboration. Vocalists are mainly Justin Hayward (Moody Blues), Eric Stewart (10cc) and Maddie Prior (Steeleye Span). The list of players is very overblown too, the basic rock combo featuring Barclay James Harvest.

The story is some heroic fairy tale with a Tolkienish feel (I didn't bother to read it thru and I wonder who does). The opening track evokes images of a peaceful land and eventually you think of Shire, the land of hobbits. But the story itself doesn't really reach the listener, the main characters remain unmemorable. Besides Hayward and Stewart sound very similar here.

Often the music is like some early 80's rock opera produced for TV. Some tracks are irritating, some are beautiful. Originally my review was rather negative but I've grown to enjoy this album more. Also it's much more instrumentally oriented than I thought at first. JEFF WAYNE's War of the Worlds from the same year, well, THAT's what I really call overblown!