ONE LIVE BADGER

Aaaah, that feeling you get when you un-cover a gem. And what a feeling it is! And, after listening to the excellent live album entitled merely: ONE LIVE BADGER, that feeling is back! The beauty of prog is the hidden surprises that suddenly appear and whack you over the head with the 'great-new-album' stick. Due to the inter-linking of many bands(with band-members occupying multiple positions in multiple bands), many little-known projects have come and gone, fading as quickly as they formed. BADGER, a band forged around the impressive keyboard-wizard and ex-Yes member Tony Kaye, belong to that 1 album group inhabited by the likes of MAINHORSE and SAMURAI who somehow made a great album and then conspired to disappear and never again produce anything as compelling. And just like the afore-mentioned one(album)-hit wonders, this is one surprising piece. The origins of the band are obscure, but one things is for sure: the album was recorded live because it was cheaper. Had it been a studio-bound affair, then would the powerful, bluesy rhythms and epic, surging feel contained within all seven tracks remained? Who knows. However, what we do know is that we have a truely original piece of work, a piece of work that comes over like a kind of trippy mixture of Cream, Pink Floyd and Yes with a hint of Grateful Dead-ish finger-picking and a little sprinkle Howlin' Wolf and the old- time blues for good measure. Like a lot of prog-albums of the time, the vocals aren't amazing, but that fact can be forgiven due to the dazzing technical proficiency on show. Guitarist Brian Parrish lets rip with a magnificent guitar-solo during 'Fountain', Tony Kaye fills every number with some eclectic keyboard, moog and mellotron work and the band as whole seem tighter than Jose Mourinho defence. Maybe the album's little-known status enhances it's initial impact, but there is no denying that ONE LIVE BADGER is a compelling affair, straddling the void between prog and classic rock whilst still managing to contain the exciting principles of the former. Filled with virtuoso solo's, cryptic lyrics and rollicking jams, everyone from Yes fans to lovers of Dream Theatre should find much to admire. Highly recommended.