NIGHTWINDS

2.5 stars really!!!

As late as 79, the English-speaking part of Canada was still producing some prog that could be viewed as symphonic and this group's sole album was produced by the Klaatu connection od Draper and Long, even if Nightwish sounded more like a cross between Genesis and Marillion. The quintet seemed to have a whole array of equipment and instrument to have lasted longer than this sole album, but somehow the album is uninspired enough to have killed any hopes of doing a second.

As it was clear that with the Klaatu's duo at the production, the album's sound was to match their impressive list of instruments, they seemed to have everything set up their way, but sadly right from the leading track, the group develops a derivative an unimaginative symphonic prog filled with Hackettian arpeggios, Banksian layers, Collinsian drum rolls and even the odd Gabriellian flute (recorder actually) etc. Not least helped by some dreadful lyrics, none of the album's track manages to stand out (even the 11-min As The Crow Flies is not enthralling), but the album ends on a particularly puzzling Curious Case where the good alternates with the awfully cheesy and the downright bad (the good being the middle section) while the bad being the riff, verse and chorus.

This album's first Cd reissue was also one of Laser's Edge's first (seventh in fact) and the label was obviously investigating the rest of Canada's then forgotten lost gems. Not that Nightwinds was really that bad at all, but they were to Genesis what Starcastle's debut was to Yes: just a bunch of clones and not even that good at it, but not that bad either. Best avoided, if you ask me. But did you ask me?

Excellent addition to my prog music collection

Nightwinds is an obscure band from Canada who released one album in 1979 selftitled and is a forgotten gem in my opinion. First impression was really good, symphonic prog played very good and with a lot of catchy tunes. The music is inspired from Genesis ( Trick of the tail period) on instrumental parts and the voice reminds me Peter Hammill, not Anderson from Yes as is write in the description of the band. Forte tracks are the opening one We Where The Young with solid bass lines in style of Squire from Yes and great voice from Sandy Singers, The Pirates Of Rebecca's Choice ( i think the best piece from here, very catchy tune very symphonic) and the longest one As The Crow Flies ( this track sounds so Genesis, but so strong), the rest is also very good. All in all a great album, almost forgotten by many, even those who think they know Canada's prog music by heart. 4 stars without hesitation

NIGHTWINDS were a Canadian band who recorded only one album which wasn't released until long after the band had broken up. GENESIS seems to be their main inspiration and i'm most impressed with the bass player who is very prominant throughout. Actually he would go onto play for the female fronted Hard Rock band called TORONTO in the eighties. Lots of mellotron here but overall i'm not impressed with this band. They do seem to be a cross between Symphonic and Neo-Prog.

"We Were The Young" opens with intricate guitar before it kicks in quickly. Vocals a minute in. This is catchy but i'm not a fan of this one. "Crude Exports" is uptempo with chunky bass to open. Lots of synths as the vocals join in. Mellotron a minute in. It settles with bass and piano standing out before kicking back in as the contrasts continue. "Ivy" features reserved vocals, acoustic guitar and flute. "The Pirates Of Rebecca's Choice" is uptempo with some nice fat bass lines. Vocals before 1 1/2 minutes. Drums come to the fore before 3 minutes.

"Out 'N' About" puts the focus on the vocals and bass until the chorus comes in. I like the guitar before 2 1/2 minutes. "Sad But True" opens with drums, bass, piano then vocals. The guitar before 3 1/2 minutes is good. "As The Crow Flies" sounds better. I like the synths. Vocals before 2 1/2 minutes. A fuller sound after 3 minutes. Contrasts continue. The tempo picks up 6 1/2 minutes in. It settles 8 1/2 minutes in with mellotron. "The Curious Case Of Benjamin Buttons" kicks in quickly. This is very Neo-Prog sounding. Nice bass too. Hackett-like guitar after 2 minutes. It kicks back in after 3 1/2 minutes.

Barely 3 stars for me.

Nightwinds was a curious anomaly in the late-seventies Canadian music scene. Bands like Goddo, Triumph, Moxy, The Hunt, and April Wine were delivering solid hard rock; Klaatu and FM were experimenting with a pop prog / crossover approach; SAGA and Zon were doing the pomp rock /neo prog thing; and Rush was at the peak of their progressive rock adventures. Nightwinds were none of these things. They were a straight-up symphonic prog band, wearing their love of Genesis brightly on their sleeves. Genesis indeed, with possibly a bit of Yes, and some bass and vocal lines reminiscent of compatriots, Rush.

Nightwinds seemed to have a promising future. Their live performances and subsequent foray into the student caught the attention of Draper and Long from Klaatu, and with all the work they had done on their own band's albums, it seemed Nightwinds were in good hands. But sometime during the recording of the album, things fell apart and the band split up before the album's release. The recording was shelved until almost 13 years later when Laser's Edge decided to release it. The album had never received a final mixing and the music was taken as it was off the monitors and released. As such, I personally feel that there is something missing from the recording. There's that touch in the mixing where the music gets treated to a final spit and polishing and tweaking before the mastering stage that seems amiss here.

Aside from that, the music itself does prominently show a Genesis influence often but there is a strong effort to create a symphonic prog rock album, something that was pretty rare in Anglophone Canada (the Francophones had that base much better covered). For me, each track features something ear-catching - a vocal line, and instrumental segment, a passage of particular interest - but I find it difficult to choose a definitive track to recommend as no matter how much I enjoy a track, there's a part that turns me off a bit. Often it's Sandy Singers's vocals, which are not bad, but sometimes sound to me like Geddy Lee doing Peter Hammil or perhaps the other way around. The vocals work most of the time but there are those occasional moments...

In spite of all the adventures into symphonic prog, the track I find myself enjoying the most is "Ivy" which is the most different-sounding track on the album as it is largely acoustic and features strong, listenable vocal melodies and some woodwind.

This is not an easy album to find on CD, and I was very glad to finally discover it for an almost reasonable price in my region of residence after searching the world over for a copy that wouldn't cost me a week's worth of lunch and dinner money. As a collector of Canadian rock and metal, I am pleased to have this. Had the nationality of the band been different, however, I can't say I would have been so motivated to get a hold of it. Still, I will give it more listens in the weeks to come.