LIVE AND LET LIVE

I found 12th Night as a teenager but soon dived into classic prog and sold away this LP dating 1984. Borrowed CD last year: some nostalgia of course but musically I expected something greater. 4,75! "Don't make me laugh! Don't make me laugh! Don't make me la- aaugh!" ('Fact & Fiction'). Some bonus for being Neo-Prog preceeding Marillion, I presume? Twelfth Night no doubt had a unique blend of prog and early eighties' slightly punkish rock with strong guitar/keyboard play and singer (like Fish, the late Geoff Mann was strong but 'raw' voice). Earlier neo group Saga seems rather lame and pretentious in comparison - though maybe more arty. But still I wouldn't praise this as a must for prog (or even Neo- Prog) fans, who might sense the feel of punk/ new wave too much and miss more complex structures à la IQ or Pendragon.

'Ceiling Speaks' starts with exciting instrumental intro but 8 minutes is too much for it and also other songs are over-extended. Only the great 'Sequences' really shines as a prog composition and it's also lyrically the strongest, dealing with war. Two instrumentals are nice and make the concert more varied. As a concert (in Marquee club) it must have been a powerful experience but musically it remains below full three stars for me.