MOVING GELATINE PLATES

An extremely confident debut album which proves that you don't have to be British to play in the Canterbury style, the first Moving Gelatine Plates album shows a heavy influence from Third- era Soft Machine. In particular, the band seem to have been inspired by the band's loud, fast, and energetic live performances from the time (as documented on the archival release Grides), rather than the more lethargic and occasionally quasi-ambient approach of the Third album itself.

But these guys are no clones; as well as incorporating a mild influence from Zappa's more fusion-oriented tracks from the era, the band also work to carve out their own distinct sound within the Canterbury pattern. The most obvious deviation from the Softs' approach is the inclusion of prominent acoustic and electric guitar performances from the talented Gerard Bertram, whose contributions at several points saves the band's sound from drifting into full-on clone territory. The music on offer is also somewhat more diverse than what Soft Machine were getting into at the time, as well as getting into areas the original Mothers of Invention never got around to despoiling - in particular, the gentle flute and acoustic guitar that opens closing track Memories provides a sound that neither of the band's major influences ever dabbled in, and doesn't really sound much like Caravan (the other flute-friendly Canterbury band of the era) either.

The debut Moving Gelatine Plates album is a decidedly worthwhile treasure for Canterbury fans to track down, not least because it hits such an absolutely perfect balance between acknowledging the band's influences and matching the quality of their work on the one hand, and creating a distinct identity for the band on the other. A true gem.