COST OF LIVING

This album starts out decently if forgettably with Twij, a short piano intro. Pandamonia, however, could have come straight from the disastrous Rock 'N' Roll Prophet album. It is a pretty straightforward rock song somewhat similar to The Breathalyser or The Proles, from Criminal Record and 1984 respectively. The vocals are not very good. Gone But Not Forgotten, on the other hand, is a nice little instrumental piano piece that Rick often play live. This version has drums and some other keyboards as well. Hardly progressive, though.

Most of the other songs are forgettable or worse. One For The Road is again a pretty straightforward Pop Rock song with a slight musical feeling, perhaps to be expected when Tim Rice is involved. Bedtime Stories is another piano piece, this time with a children's choir going lalalalala. please!! Monkey Nuts is about as good as the title indicates!

Elegy - Written In A Country Churchyard is based around narration (or should I say drenched in narration). It is hardly another Journey or Arthur and it feels a bit out of place on this album.

This album lacks direction and it is very hard to know where he is going. There is no theme or idea holding the parts together. This is one of Rick's least interesting albums.