UK

The last of the prog ´supergroups´ (at least during the 70´s) had everything to work. Could anyone imagine John Wetton (King Crimson, Family, Uriah Heep), Eddie Jobson (Curved Air), Bill Bruford (Yes, King Crimson) and guitar virtuoso Allan Holdswoth (Soft Machine) together? Four terrific, outstanding and seasoned musicians. UK however does not really gel. It was clear their differences: Wetton and Jobson wanted a more laid back, melodic prog direction, while Bruford and Holdsworth wanted to jazz. It couldn´t really last long. Nobody was surprised when both of the latter left the group.

While the band was not the dream team we may had imagined, the music itself was not bad. Actually, if you like symphonic prog with some strong jazzy parts you´ll probably like it very much, as long as you don´t expect anything special. After all, the playing is superb and Allan Holsdworth fans may find it a must have. For prog lovers this is a good CD, but hardly essential.