A TOAST TO PANAMA RED

'A Toast to Panama Red' is Masters Apprentices most accomplished approach to prog rock and it is a fabulous album. Each track chugs along with some excellent guitar from Ford and the wonderful vocals of Keays. Time sig changes are prevalent throughout and very well structured compositions that begin and end without flourish.

'The Answer Lies Beyond' motorvates along at a nice medium pace with cool riffs and pulsating drum beats of Burgess. The slow meandering phased guitar of Ford carries along 'Beneath the Sun'. The vocals are quiet, and there is no chorus, as is the case for most of the tracks. It changes direction mid way through with a hypnotic riff, strange effects and psychedelic nuances.

This was 1972 and prog had survived the birth pangs and was beginning to flourish with this type of heavy psych approach which was complex and not just designed for pot heads. Keays drew the album cover and his wife wrote out the lyrics in her own hand, it was a real collaborative effort. 'Games We Play 1' is surrealistic and off kilter with an early Sabbath feel in the guitar work with very erratic drumming. The 7 minute track changes moods and launches into an ace bassline by Wheathers that drives it along, than Ford's lead punctuates the track with high pitched fret screams.

'Games We Play 2' is an instrumental that heavily relies on a driving guitar riff and showcases the musical prowess of the band. 'The Prophet' poem is read over the music in true Hawkwind style and choral voices from the Crikey Choir! This enhances the track with an ethereal quality and its worth a listen though only available on this album.

The next track 'The Lesson So Listen' opened the vinyl album side 2 and is held together by a progtastic riff; angular guitar and intricate drum patterns propel it along. The contagious melody of 'Love Is' is a definite highlight, and is a track that boasts some imaginative use of brass and acoustic flourishes. There is an excellent lead break and the estranged lyrics are well sung with multilayered harmonies. 'Memories of St Kilda' is intriguing and works as a rocker that changes signature and blasts to a sudden conclusion.

'Southern Cross' is the highlight of the album featuring an excellent lead guitar solo from Ford, a key to the success of the group. There is some great bass on this too and vibrant drum beats. 'Thyme to Rhyme' is soft album closer with acoustic guitar and is short and to the point.

Conclusively this album is perhaps the best of Masters Apprentices apart from the plethora of compilations that are still being churned out. Great arrangements throughout and innovative structures creating a strange ethereal atmosphere. This is an early 70s look at Aussie Prog and it is well worth a listen. ****

A Toast To Panama Red largely follows in the same riff-based heavy rock direction as it's predecessor, but with more psychedelic elements, and more proggy grandiosity. The 2-part "Games We Play" is the major track, the opening section contrasting contemplative acoustic verses with heavy guitar passages, before we ramp up the grandiosity with a choir and narration. The sturm und drang approach is also used to good effect in "Love Is", with it's fanfare-like opening giving way to a 6/8 acoustic ballad, eventually lifted by a horn arrangement; and again in "Beneath The Sun" where a mellow ballad suddenly meets an unexpected key change and a somewhat heavier second section (this section also featuring an instrument I can't identify - sounds like a xylophone making bird calls or something...). Even the songs with no obvious change of mood seem somewhat unsettled. "Answer Lies Beyond" gets most of the way through it's running time before the main riff is finally introduced, up to that point basically jamming away on the same chord underneath a two-note melody (but if that makes it sound boring, it's not at all). I'm still trying to figure out what metre "The Lesson So Listen" is in - it sounds like the drummer is ignoring the rest of the band and keeping a straight 2/4 while the others go off on other tangents. "Thyme To Rhyme" is a pretty acoustic ballad with some very strange psychedelic noises going on in the background. "Melodies of St Kilda" is another heavy track which dramatically changes tempo halfway through". "Southern Cross" is the track that bears the most resemblance to the previous album, being a comparatively simple two chord rocker with Doug Ford given plenty of room to solo. It's overall a less accessible album than Choice Cuts - you understand why it didn't sell anywhere near as well, generate any hits, or why fewer of it's tracks are included on compilations - and in some ways a less successful album overall; but this is the band at their most ambitious and experimental, and therefore at their most interesting.

While "Choice Cuts" was a slice of hard boogie rock with psychedelic folk extras and offered a glimpse into the world of progressive rock, THE MASTERS APPRENTICES' fourth release A TOAST TO PANAMA RED ramped up the prog attributes a tad while tamping down the harder boogie rock. The result was an album that many consider one of Australia's best prog albums of the 70s except at this point the band was more British and Aussie! Well actually the band was a bit of both. It would be the band's final album at least in this first formation until a reunion album surfaced in 1988.

The time between "Choice Cuts" and A TOAST TO PANAMA RED, which refers to a Central American variety of marijuana, was a stressful time as the band was approached by the new UK label Bronze but still in contract with EMI Australia. Trying to negotiate and pit the two labels on a bidding war, the whole thing blew up in the band's face and ultimately ended up staying with EMI. The album was recorded under band member tensions and didn't go as smoothly as "Choice Cuts" therefore this period was the beginning of the unraveling of the team spirit which sustained the band for a few years. Ultimately it meant back to Abbey Studios to release what would be the band's final album of its first run anyways.

A TOAST TO PANAMA RED hit the music market in 1972 and featured everything that made "Choice Cuts" so delectable for those who heard it. Once again the band mixed prog, hard rock, psychedelic folk and a bit of boogie rock. While still rooted in catchy pop hooks, the compositions this time around were a bit more dreamy and more sophisticated which made them a bit more difficult to follow. With bluesy guitar riffing and medieval folk moments, this fourth album stood apart proudly from its predecessor that sucked you in and wouldn't let you lose interest for the entire album's run. A TOAST TO PANAMA RED seems less easy to grasp upon a single spin. The subtle complexities added a whole new dimension and while not full blown prog as went many bands around 1972, the influences are undeniable.

While the harder rock is still present such as on the opening "Answer Lies Beyond," the distortion is turned down and tones are warmer and more varied. Likewise Keays' vocals are less agitating and overall the band just sounds more relaxed. While on the opener Keays sounds a little funny like he just huffed on a helium balloon, subsequent tracks reveal a more nuanced approach that allows the proggier constructs to unfold. The tracks also feature some jamming segments such as "Beneath The Sun" which unleashes a cool bluesy guitar riff over a funky bass groove. In fact it the bass reminds me of that Ted Nugent song "Stranglehold" which didn't come out until 1975 although granted the tempo is sped up a bit.

A TOAST TO PANAMA RED is certainly the favorite album for those looking for the most progressive attributes. This is definitely a lot mellower overall than "Choice Cuts" as the folk aspects are extended and the rock parts often are dreamy and verging on space rock. The heavier rock is almost completely absent and when it does turn up the tempo a bit, it's more of a controlled burn rather than a ferocious attack which "Choice Cuts" allowed. Unfortunately this album didn't sell very well despite once again being praised by the critics. It seems the hideous album cover art scared a lot of potential customers away and admittedly it's not the most pleasing album cover to look at! In fact it seems totally unfitting for the music that's inside. Overall another great album from THE MASTERS APPRENTICES who once again steered their band sound into a different arena. Unfortunately this was the end of the road for a while.