IN SPITE OF HARRY'S TOENAIL

Gnidrolog are an under-appreciated 70s prog band that only made two albums, In Spite of Harry's Toe-nail and Lady Lake. Both were released in 1972 and they both are very different from each other, but both are masterpieces. These are essential to any fan of Van der Graaf Generator or King Crimson (which is most of the people here).

In Spite of Harry's Toe-nail is much heavier, more aggressive, and complex than their following album, Lady Lake. It would make sense to compare this album to Van der Graaf Generator's album Pawn Hearts and the next to Godbluff or Still Life. These guys sound like a mixture of Van der Graaf Generator, King Crimson, Jethro Tull, and Gentle Giant, but all blended together with other influneces to create a unique sound.

Listen to the sample "Long Live Man Dead" here on the archives to get a good impression on what this album is like. Very aggressive vocals and guitars blended together perfectly with lighter and more mellow prog. All the longer songs here are great, Snails features some of the most aggressive guitar playing of any 70s prog I've heard. Time in Space has an amazing flute solo at the end which will make your jaw drop guaranteed (there is nice flute work throughout the whole album, which is the cliche reason I compared them to Jethro Tull). In Spite of Harry's Toe-nail is a nice way to close the album, it's a progressive-sounding hard rocker reminding me of Deep Purple with some nice harmonica. The one low point of the album is the shorter songs, which are good but not as impressive. It's no big deal since they only add up to around 5 minutes and fit together with the album nicely.

All in all, this album is to me an underrated masterpiece. Right now, you can buy both Gnidrolog albums on one CD for the price of a normal album which is an absolutely amazing deal. I strongly encourage any fan of 70s prog to look for this bundle, you will definitely not regret it.