FIRING ON ALL SIX

Kenny Driscoll left the band after the eponymous first album, to be replaced by Coverdale look-alike John Sloman. Roy Thomas Baker was no longer in the producer's chair, so the guitars lost a bit of their edge and the band took on a slightly more funky approach. Drummer Dixie Lee is again on great form here and must rate as one of the best drummers in rock.

The first track "Bells of Berlin" was written with Driscoll and is probably the band's best song. Great synth work from Worsnop and Sloman puts in an excellent vocal peformance. There is some great bass/drum interplay again before the song ends with a screaming synth solo.

"The Ballad of Crafty Jack" is Western-style song featuring honky-tonk piano. "Time lays down" has a nice funky bass line and is typical of the "new" sound that the band found on this album. "Hypnotic Mover" is another Driscoll song, fading out with the band's trademark backing vocals with guitar solos.

"Lovely Lubina" is an average track about a prostitute, which takes us into the slower, electric piano-led song "Seasons in your eyes", with orchestral arrangements by Jeff Wayne. Another emotional vocal from Sloman.

"Rivers overflowing" is another funky number similiar to "Time lays down" and again has some brilliant bass/drum work. The final track has a guitar riff reminiscent of "Burn" and again fades out on a nice sing-a-long chorus.

An excellent follow-up to the debut, although the guitar sounds could have been a bit "meatier". Both this and the debut album were re-released on a single CD a few years ago, after being unobtainable for a while. Anyone who likes the rockier end of prog should grab a copy now.