TIME AND A WORD

Yes

Symphonic Prog

3.35 | 1658 ratings

From Progarchives.com, the ultimate progressive rock music website

Firstly, I feel abd giving this three stars, as it really is 3.5, and I really enjoy this album. That said, I don't really feel validated in giving in four stars.

"Time and a word" is a more Beatlesque affair than what might become expected of the band, given albums like "Tales from Topographic Oceans", "Relayer", "Close to the Edge" etc. The songs hover around the five minute mark. They are very innovative, but they received a lot of help from an orchestra. The tracks kind of blend prog, psych and pop-rock, and they do it rather well. The tracks often have catchy choruses but blend that with some complex instrumental parts and detailed introductions.

"Everydays" is a slightly jazzy number, and I'm not sure if Jon Anderson was trying to sing like Billie Holiday but it's a fine song! Written by Steven Stills! The title track is Beatlesque pop at it's finest, and 'Then' is another jazzy song, and the string arrangement works really well here. Possibly the best song is the pumping, infectious rocker 'Sweet Dreams'.

The other songs vary in quality, but mostly aren't too bad; "Astral Traveller" might be a failed attempt at sounding like "Legend of a mind", "Clear Days" is a McCartney-styled ballad. "No Opportunity Necessary" is a cover of a Richie Havens song (funny how he turns up in prog circles; in 1978 he sang two songs on 'Please Don't Touch'. "Dear Father" is a worthy pop- psych song that is a bonus track, despite a trite-sounding chorus. "The Prophet" is probably the most ambitious song here, an early attempt at a prog-epic.

The drawbacks are that it doesn't always cohese well. There are too many messy instrumental sections and not enough exciting ones. These problems kind of belie the top-notch songwriting. Oh well, you can't always win!

Brendan | 3/5 | 2011-6-23

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