777

So, after the minor gap of eighteen years between albums, the Jaspers decided to take just a year to come back with the next one. Nick Harradence had only ever joined the band to help on the previous recording, and by now he had been replaced by Florin Werner on the drum seat. Sohelia came back to provide vocals on another song, and although there was no Pat D'Arcy, interestingly there was a guest appearance on guitar from Tony Heath, who just like Pat had been a member of the band for the 'Sting In The Tale' album, so there is a nice synergy and feeling of completeness.

As with the previous album, this is very much the 'new' Red Jasper with a very different musical approach to how they were in the Nineties, more "straight progressive" (if you get what I mean), but still with folky elements. I can't imagine another band performing a song such as "She Waits" as it starts with a very British almost "oom pah pah" feel before becoming a commercial rocker, and switches between the styles throughout. It is commercial, it is packed full of hooks, and such great fun! There are times when they do remind me somewhat of Credo, but given my incredibly long affiliation with that band I can't really say that is a bad thing. This album is a real grower, and Florin and Jon have already built up a strong relationship, with Jon having one of the lightest touches on bass that one will come across, with great effect. This partnership allows both Lloyd and Robin to build and throw melodies, solos and swathes of sound around: it certainly sounds as if the guys had a blast recording this, while D.C. is still there at the front providing this different theatrical vocal approach.

D.C. has told me to expect yet another album soon as the guys just can't stop writing music together, and with such a long gap in their history it really does seem as if they have never been away.

The retooled RED JASPER really had its origins in "Anagramary", the last release before the long hiatus, as this marked the moment when they dispensed with the more overtly folk aspects of their character and plunged into the sea of samey neo prog. They handled it quite well, and even improved upon it when David Clifford stepped out from the shadows and replaced the inimitable Davey Dodds on "The Great and Secret Show" just a few years ago. Their penchant for melody with a dramatic flair was rekindled and they have now extended the sample size to 3 with "777".

This release is a logical extension but flawed in several key areas, chiefly in its garrulousness, a common neo prog ailment against which they seem to have forgotten to be vaccinated this time around. Moreover, many of the themes are overly repetitive, and, even where sudden shifts occur, the listener quickly learns to anticipate them which sabotages much of the enjoyment. Both "She Waits" and "The Gathering" are guilty of this laziness, while "Reaching Out", notwithstanding some enjoyable synth soloing, and "Nothing to Believe" are even more generic and predictable, with choruses that stumble out of and back into the recycle bin.

The album's best moments are at the very beginning and towards the end. "7" recaptures some of their folky past while being catchy and edgy. "Dragonfly" is more reflective and pastoral, contrasting with most of the directness of the remainder. "Paradise Folly" slyly re-purposes the balladry of the Sonnets from their long ago classics but only adds to the sense of meager inspiration elsewhere. A fine bonus track is added, the haunting "October and April" originally performed by THE RASMUS, handily adapted and made their own in a live setting.

I'm not suggesting that RED JASPER wait another 15 odd years for another offering, only that "777" may have been allowed to escape prematurely and breached the thin red line between British prog folk and generic neo prog. 2.5 stars rounded down.

What can be said about 777 that can't also be said for The Great and Secret Show? The second album of the Red Jasper reunion - and, so far, the final one - is thematically and musically so in line with its predecessor that it could have been dubbed "The Great and Secret Show 2: Now Greater and More Secretive". Florian Werner takes up the drum post here, but otherwise the lineup remains the same - which may be a problem if the main thing you liked about Red Jasper's original run were the boisterous and characterful vocals of Davey Dodds, because whilst Dave Clifford does a reasonable job as the vocalist, he's not Dodds (and is too sensible to pretend to be).

For me, the Achilles Heel of the album is the same as that for The Great and Secret Show, and to a lesser extent Anagramary - the band have almost entirely dialled back the folk elements of their music, swapping out the folk/neo-prog blend of their finest moments for a more purist neo-prog approach. Very occasionally there's a flash of the band's folk past - the bonus track is an acoustic number which may be intended as a nod to that former aspect of their approach - but compared to past works the difference is stark, and the lack of any folk instrumentation as a prominent feature of the sound is a dead giveaway.

What results is perfectly serviceable neo-prog stuff, but I've heard a lot of that and there's a lot of groups doing that sort of stuff. The distinctive personality of Dodds-era Red Jasper appears to have left with Dodds, and what's left behind doesn't quite stir me up the same way.