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Decameron - Third Light CD (album) cover

THIRD LIGHT

Decameron

 

Prog Folk

3.43 | 18 ratings

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ClemofNazareth
Special Collaborator
Prog Folk Researcher
3 stars 'Third Light' was Decameron's third of four studio releases and probably their most consistent effort, in that there are no real duds or filler here although there aren't really any standout tracks either. As with their prior two releases the lineup includes some guest appearances, in this case former If (and future Strawbs) keyboardist John Mealing, Patto percussionist John Halsey (the band never did have a full-time drummer as near as I can tell), and English horn player Mike Winfield on a few tracks, most notably "Saturday".

Like I said there are no real standout tracks here, although the building tempo and guitar/ strings interplay of "All the Best Wishes" and the winding and folksy "The Ungodly" serve to showcase that blend of rock and folk temperaments that most likely appealed to their modest fanbase at the time.

The opening "Rock and Roll Away" is more of a pub-rocker and akin to the sort of journeyman touring musician tale as the opening title track to their sophomore release.

Perhaps the oddest tune on the album is the heavily string-infused acoustic number "The Strawman" whose meaning I can't quite figure out but which sounds as if it was inspired more by stage music than either rock or folk. "Journey's End" is a bit like this as well with plenty of string swells and Winfield's laconic horn swirling around Mealing's electric piano and what I believe is Coppin's high tenor vocals. A nice piece that might have made a better closer than "The Ungodly", but who am I to say really.

"Wide as the Years" is the longest and arguably the most progressive track on the album, although with this band that really isn't saying much. The piano and strings again set the tone, with a winding vocal passage that deftly spins a musical yarn while managing to avoid and sort of chorus or traditional song structure. The ending of this song in particular is quite lovely without veering into sappy territory, and I can imagine would have made for a nice encore piece in concert.

Toward the end of the album "Road to the Sea" and "Trapeze" are geared a bit more toward a soft-rock sound that the band would pursue more fully on their final studio release 'Tomorrow's Pantomime' just a year later. Unfortunately that would also be the band's final album as they disbanded shortly after releasing it.

For me the first and last Decameron albums are their best, the first for its true folksy mood and influences, and the latter for the quality of musicianship as well as one of my favorite album covers ever. This one doesn't quite rise to that level, but given that all the tracks (except possibly "The Strawman") are solidly decent, I have to say the effort rates three of five stars and is mildly recommended but mostly to those who have heard any of the other albums and are still interested in the band. The album has never been released on CD as far as I know, but has been issued as part of CD packages, one combined with 'Tomorrow's Pantomime' on Castle Records and again along with 'Say Hello to the Band' and 'Tomorrow's Pantomime' as part of the 'Parabola Road' collection. Either one will do if you are interested, although 'Parabola Road' is probably the easier one to find. Worth enjoying if you come across it.

peace

ClemofNazareth | 3/5 |

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