FRIENDSHIP

On Friendship Junipher Greene play in a proto-progressive rock style in which the prog genre's roots in psychedelia and the counter-culture are still decidedly evident. From the opening Try to Understand to the end, regular detours into more psychedelic territory occur both instrumentally and lyrically (with the themes of songs ranging from CSNY-style homages to the underground scene and freedom and us all being one to comedic yarns about magic in the form of Witches Daughter). Tending to be rather light-hearted and optimistic, the album earns its prog credentials mainly through the epic final track (Friendship), and through the Ian Anderson-esque flute work of Bent Aserud. A decent listen, though I prefer my heavy prog a little darker.