1972-75

A hodgepodge assembly of studio tracks culled from demos, live recordings and an unreleased second album that is nevertheless brilliant. The vivacity of the music eclipses the patchwork nature of the collection: thunderous organ lines, relentless energy and a lead vocalist capable of some truly stunning chops. The Sea of Green pts. 1 and 2 are a lost prog masterpiece, maintaining intense emotional tension; Nasty Backbone plays on the softer acoustic side, while The Jam is, predictably, a jam session whose predictability ends at its uninspired moniker. The Old Man and the Sea are a mutually driven organ/guitar outfit, allowing for mouthwatering interplay between instruments. You could power a major city for a year on the energy these guys are capable of composing at their height. Several tolerable-to-good tracks (Elvira, Sadness) are inescapable but enjoyable. Album really picks up towards the conclusion - everything from Sea of Green to Down By the Sea is undiluted prog mastery.