GATE TO INFINITY

Definitly those were strange times. 1977 was a turning point year musically, although I believe not too many people notice it at the time. Earth And Fire´s Gate To Infinity is too a strange album. They mix experimentalism, pop tunes and disco music all over the CD. It´s not a sell out: most of the music here is way too different to be played on the radio. The sole exception is 7/8th Avenue, with an infecticious groove and a great chorus. But at 3:02 minutes it is too short. With a little more work this could have been a huge hit in the mold of ELO´s Last Train To London. A real shame.

Ok, most of reviewers here bashed the album senseless. Some were unfair, but I understand them. Gate To Infinity must have been a shock for the fans at the time. Still, more than 30 years later, I much rather judge the record by its musical qualities, regardless the styles adopted. And, believe it or not, the music here is very good: melodic, with fine hooks, very well performed and with a terrific singer to boot. True, there is hardly any ´proper´ prog parts in here (prog disco counts? Does that exist?). But it´s far from banal or a copycat. The band still made things their way and the experimental parts are plenty. As weird as it is, after a few spins, I still like what I hear. Although some tracks are obviously better than others, none is crap (some would benefit from a little more work like the aforementioned 7/8th Avenue)..

I guess I should recommend this album only for the ones that have a very open mind and like to enjoy fine songs without much prejudice. To my taste, they are excellent. Even in its darkest hour, this band had something special going on.

Rating: good, but not essential in any way. 3 stars.