MAN IN THE MOON

I'd have to back up a previous reviewer by giving this one 4 stars - just. As expected, this is an album of 'songs', as opposed to the mind blowing jams we know and love - after all, we are at 1980 with this one. Mo Moore and Ron Howden did not take part in this recording, but we do have a fine drummer in David Prater, who is equally competent and technical (if not more so), and a precise (but subtle) bass player, Carmine Rojas (who went on to work with Bowie). Roye turns in a fine performance with his vocals, and, at times his guitar soloing harkens back to the Nektar of old - Grand Alliance this is not (Roye's commercial, post-Nektar band). Keys man 'Taff' Freeman plays the Hammond, Piano, Mini-Moog, Clavinet and the odd poly-synth of the day - he has not lost the 'atmospheric' touch to his approach, always playing tasteful melodies and selecting the most appropriate sounds. Production duties are taken care of by Roye, with some help from Rupert Hine, so, rest assured, the sound is not going to be hideous 80's gloss. Side one of the album (first 5 tracks for CD) are generally strong songs, some have a bit of that 'power ballad' style to them but still generate a lot more 'depth' than most other bands at that stage - 'Telephone' is a good example of this and a great song. The track 'Torraine' features a fine proggy instrumental section that gets the adrenalin pumping, with the band giving it their all, Roye shreds especially. Side 2 contains some pleasant tracks, but maybe a little too light and radio friendly A.O.R. for those who prefer complex arrangements - they are concisely structured and performed, and (thankfully) lacks that 'cheeziness' so prevalent in this style of music. The title track 'Man In THe Moon' (6.42) rounds off the proceedings with a touch of 'spaciness' and a good dose of their 'classic' earlier sound and approach. A bit of a mini-epic, actually. All in all, this album can be considered very good at what it does, but don't go expecting another King of Twilight. Nice cover art too.