GARDEN SHED

I am 100 % sure the supermarket chain LIDL has copied the artwork for their orange marmelade tins they are now selling in their shops. I passed through it earlier today and got a reminder that I should listen to this album today. The artwork is brilliant though and I will buy one just to put it on display.

Arriving back home again..... I thought I had all the GENESIS albums was my first reactions to the opening minutes of this album. The opening track Midnight Madness is very much a GENESIS rip off. But it is a good one. The rest of the album is very much a blend of YES, GENESIS and SUPERTRAMP. Yes, throw in GENTLE GIANT and some GREENSLADE too. The result is an amalgation of some of the best English prog rock bands from the early part of the 1970s. I have heard the music being referred to pastorial. I could not agree more ! This is a new word in my English glossary (not my first language) but I very much embrace the word pastorial when it comes to this album.

The thirteen minutes long Three Piece Suite is very much a YES rip off with GENESIS amalgated into this pastorial song (I love that word). YES from the Close To The Edge era, that is. I think this is a superb song, although my mind wanders off towards YES. The following two tracks also reminds me a lot about SUPERTRAMP too, in addition to those two abovementioned bands. The final track Poisoned Youth clocks in at over sixteen minutes and includes a lot of references to all bands mentioned over. It is also a very catchy song with some excellent Moog works. The track is mostly a YES rip-off though.

Some people says this album is an amalgation of YES Close To The Edge and GENESIS Selling England By The Pound. I agree with that view. Add some SUPERTRAMP and GENTLE GIANT to the mix and you have this album. Is it a copycat or even a rip-off album ? No. But it is very cleverly done. It is also a very good album in it's own right and all fans of YES and GENESIS will love it..... after overcoming the initial shock. It is a pastorial album and a joy. I think it is an excellent addition to any prog rock collection and not a 3 stars album as my instincts tells me. I therefore overrules my instincts in this case.

4 stars.