THE SENTINEL

Buyer beware: not all editions of The Sentinel are equal. The best versions are the ones with the track listing outlined above, in which the three songs the band cut as commercially accessible standalone singles to support the album are placed at the start and the following seven tracks comprise the famed Atlantis Suite that was a staple of early Sentinel live shows. The group originally planned to release the album consisting solely of the Atlantis Suite from start to finish, with the commercial songs released as singles to placate EMI; however, record company politics resulted in the running order of the album being tampered with to remove some of the Suite tracks and adding in some of the singles, almost completely obscuring the concept. Though most versions available these days present the suite in the form it was originally intended, it's worth checking to make sure you aren't getting a version with a botched running order.

But enough of that - what of the music itself? Well, those three mainstream tracks leading off the album are almost completely skippable - I never listen to them when I put the album on these days - but the Atlantis Suite itself is great fun. Eddie Offord's presence as producer may make you tempted to make Yes comparisons, but personally I'm more reminded of a cross between the spacey majesty of Eloy and the drama and intricacy of classic Genesis. Either way, it's a treat for neo-prog fans - it's just a shame so many people just heard the single tracks and passed this one over.