ONCE OR TWICE...

Released in 1996 between the "Across the water" and "Somersault" albums, "Once or twice" was Jadis' second EP of non-album tracks. This time we have four songs, all of around five minutes.

While the material on the band's first EP ("Once upon a time") was strong, here we have a selection of rather second rate material, which may be summarised as undistinguished neo- prog.

The opening "This changing face" has all the requisite string synths and lead guitars, with some harder riffs giving the track some edge, but the song rambles and lacks a decent melody. Whether this was in part down to the departure of keyboard player Martin Orford is debatable, as the song had been written many years previously. "In the dark", a song written about an abandoned railway tunnel(!), suffers from the same deficiency, although it does include a fine Tony Banks ("A curious feeling") like synth section.

"Taking your time" was mainly written by former member Trev Hawkins, who had left the band some years before they got round to recording it. This slower ballad is well performed, with some tasteful string synth backed guitar.

The final track is a live version of "Hiding in the corner" originally from the band's first album. The sound is rather muddled, with only the guitar coming across with any sort of distinction.

In all, a rather dull EP with pleasant sounds but short on melodies. The EP has since been deleted and incorporated in remastered format on the 2001 Jadis release "Medium rare", which also includes an acoustic version of "This changing face".

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