SOMETHING MAGIC

Oh, well. This was a melancholic way to say goodbye to one of the most interesting and creative bands to emerge from the 60's. I think it would make an excellent single, with the title track (I liked the bombastic orchestration) and Strangers In Space. They are the only really inspired and convincing songs on the entire LP. I still remember how disappointed I felt when I heard it back in 1977. It was a bad year for all proggers, but I always hoped some bands would pull off something really good to counteract the sniping of the press.

Sadly, this release only added fuel to the fire, going as long as doing a side long epic. Bold for the time, ok, but it was one of the most embarrassing affairs I ever saw by any other major band: the music is nice, but is not outstanding in any way and the story is simply too silly to take it seriously (even as a metaphor. Gary Brooker's narration instead of singing only enhances the feeling this song was written for kids under 7 only). It hurts when you think the authors of this dud wrote things so beautiful like A Whiter Shade Of Pale, Conquistador, A Salty Dog and other haunting classics.

The remaining short tracks are nice, but well below Procol Harum's standards. On the other side the production is very good . In all Something Magic seems like a picture of the time: they sounded ok but uninspired and lacking direction. Like a lot of great bands of the period. I was hoping they would prove themselves better with the next release. Unfortunately they disbanded soon after. It was a bleak period, but they left some of rock's finest moments recorded in their discography for posterity.

If you're new to this band, avoid this one at all costs, it'll give a false impression, even if it is not really bad. For collectors and fans, only.