CRUEL BUT FAIR

This wonderful work from Hopper, Dean, Tippett, Gallivan is not for the uninitiated in avante rock. It is full of unbridled tone, note and rhythm. It appears disconnected. YET! for those who have crossed that line in "hearing" this music, it's quite, quite pleasant and accessible.

"Cruel But Fair" is the first outing for this quartet. This is just simply magnificent, a true masterwork. The tone pallet gets real tasty here, as Dean is just marvelous, sounding like a female voice at times, to the guttural passages that rip at your soul. Of course the percussion department is simply one of the best combination's one could hope for. Keith Tippett though is the real shine for my ears. His dynamic interpretation of the music is a wash of color and slight dissonance, and total control of the instrument "he owns."

For those that like this, this Canterbury gone slightly awry, this is the stuff that makes these learning, aging, thankful ears smile.

As always, thanks to these and all of the artists participating in this glorious miracle; Progressive Rock. And most of all, thanks to the continued ability to share and access information on this fabulous site: Progarchives.com.