CRIMINAL RECORD

I've already said that anything Rick does is interesting to me, and this is no exception. It's true that my complaints about his compositional skills are more justified than ever here, much of what happens is little more than a tubular bells kind of jamming with himself. But it still has its moments, and sometimes the grandeur makes the hairs on the back of my neck tingle. I really like Judas Iscariot. I love the way he uses the organ on this, but it's no coincidence that its a formulaic kind of organ playing that suits him, rather than a rock or band setting. On Hammond organ, Rick was never the King of Showmen (that was Emerson); he was never the most dynamic (that was Ritchie); but on keyboards in general, he was definitely the most scholarly, and it shows here. In Judas Escariot, the melody at times almost has form, albeit sounding at times like a hybrid of Pink Floyd and Yes in both chord structure and execution.

But I was pleasantly surprised, having read some negative reviews beforehand.

Only a couple of reasonable tunes here, perhaps the opening and closing tracks, but still many interesting moments on the road in between. A worthwhile addition to my catalogue.