SCHIZOPHRENIA

The third and final studio album from Paul Brett’s Sage took on a more electric and rather more conventional tone than the two that preceded it, and in some respects that makes it the least appealing of the trio for me. That said, Brett’s wonderful guitar playing, solid supporting cast and great song selection still place this record above the fray compared with much of what was being released as the mid-seventies approached.

The band had become a quartet by this point (with a few guest artists thrown in for good measure), although the group wasn’t making the commercial impact they or the label expected and wouldn’t be around much after the record released. Too bad because these many years later I find myself wondering why they didn’t take off back then. The musicianship on this album is mostly impeccable, the songwriting creative and engaging, and most of the songs combine tight guitar work with catchy rhythms to the extent that they should have been FM radio-friendly, especially back then when both DJs and listeners were more open to exploring the fringe beyond Top-40.

Along with a noticeable shift from acoustic and folk-tinged instrumentation, the band also moved a bit away from the eclectic percussion so prominent on their first two records. While Bob Voice still whips out his bongos from time to time (“Slow Down”, “Autumn”), the bulk of songs here feature more conventional drumming and not so much else. Strawbs drummer Rod Coombes also appears on ‘Slow Down Ma!” (with his name misspelled in the credits).

On the backside of the album Brett’s acoustic guitar prowess resurfaces on songs like “Tale of a Rainey”, “Autumn” and the brief instrumental “Bee”. His penchant for 12-string is most noticeable on these tracks, something Brett would become rather renowned for in subsequent years.

I’ve read some reviews that point to this album as the highlight of the Paul Brett Sage discography but I would disagree – the first was definitely the most adventurous and creative from a musical standpoint, while with several songs on this one the group appears to be taking the easy route with jam-like arrangements and easygoing lyrics. Still a very good record, but I can’t quite rate it as high as ‘Paul Brett Sage’ or even ‘Jubilation Foundry’. A solid three stars nonetheless, and recommended to most fans of mid- seventies rock music (though it may not appeal to purist prog fans).

peace