OH WELL

Also this single features a non-album song on the A side and an album track on the B side. 'Oh Well' (later appearing as a bonus on the reissue of Perilous Journey, 1977) is a vocal song, unlike the majority of the Gordon Giltrap pieces around the time. The heady arrangement combines THIN LIZZY reminding blues-rock for the guitars and vocals, and the steamy, funky spirit of the jazz-rock of early CHICAGO and such, for all the extras in the big sound. Also the vocals have a ballsy edge to them, though they don't appear all the time.

'Reflections & Despair' is a nice instrumental from Perilous Journey. It starts in a peaceful tempo, and the acoustic guitar, gradually joined by other instruments, might make one think of ANTHONY PHILLIPS. Unpredicted twists come in the midway and the piece becomes pretty dynamic and adventurous. Full-blown progressive rock, in other words.

I'm not personally very fond of 'Oh Well', and for the B sider I'd rather point to the strong mother album Perilous Journey. Three stars will do, then.