REFLECTION CLUB

Canadian electronic artist Tona Ohama invited me 10 years ago to assist in the mixing of his synth-dominated all- instrumental tribute to TAAB, and I have the 001 pressing, as well as a copy (002) that I sent to huge JT fan Lutz Meinert, a Berlin multi-instrumentalist whose prog career is highlighted by bands Margin and For Your Pleasure. Lutz is incredibly talented, with a great sense of humour and impeccable class as he mailed me 2 copies of his tribute Still Thick as a Brick, and you guessed it, the second one for Tona. What goes around comes around. Love it! The media book with the CD and DVD is quite the package, again emulating the newspaper of yore The St-Cleve Chronicle now called amusingly and with tongue firmly in cheek, Rellington Stone, as a fully documented and entirely sarcastic magazine that is nothing more the figment of an imaginary mind. If you happen to be a politician, a corporate raider, a profiteer, or a banker, you will really hate what you read. For the rest of us, panacea. The idea was to continue with a modern version of the story, replacing the young Gerald Bostock with George Boston, the financial mogul and providing an 11-song set list that naturally flows, as one would rightfully expect, into the next, telling this new version of the current protagonist and his adventures. Lutz handles the keys, bass and drums, Long- time pal Nils Conrad (Margin, For Your Pleasure and recently in Crystal Palace) mans the fretwork, Ulla Harmuth takes care of the many flute parts and finally, the voice of Ian Anderson sung by Paul Forrest who does an admirable job of sounding like Ian without exactly coming across as a copycat. This work is not meant in any way as a piggyback on a well-proven classic but a rather obvious and loving appreciation for the original piece, and this feeling comes across in spades within the delivery as well as the instrumental palette.

"Prelude" sets the folky tone, more classical symphonic than one would expect, with playful orchestrations, paved along with flute and organ until we arrive at the transition to "Time Out", a wink at the opening line of the original 'Really don't mind if you sit this one out', where the voice finally enters the stage. This is when the collective eyebrows are raised and the comfortable familiarity kick in. Paul knows his craft and his performance is astonishing. The sprawling organ and strident guitar introduce "Years on the Fast Track", propelled by some frantic bass pull, and things really, a start cooking, 'the kettle almost boiling' and Nils pulling a wickedly short solo. "Rellington Town" is as JT as it gets, typically a folky story telling melody that sears the mind, most definitely "creating a hippie vibe", certainly retro and lucky are we. The flute meanders like a stream in the valley down below. "The Club of Hopeful Pinions" is the quirky piece where the shifts are endless, laden by electric guitar blasts and organ swells, tempered by gentle flute breezes, twisting on a dime, a little glockenspiel to boot. All the love is tossed 'in the sink.' This flows into an even more raucous and explosive "The Foray of the Sharks", where Lutz' dexterity on keys and bass are evident. Nils rips a series of filthy solos, before unleashing a corker, in 'the newfangled way'. Pastoral returns to "Sentimental Depreciation" but it is bookended by a rabid guitar driven theme that is the highlight of the album, with a central evocation that touches the sensibilities. "Nervesoothers" is another whirlwind folk melody, loads of flute, stop and start rhythms, bulging bass burps, a reminder that JT was a highly efficient and proficient band that had no fear of the complex (as best expressed by the eternally misunderstood album "the Passion Play") and this madness is sustained on the commanding "The Great Dance around the Golden Calf". "Bedlam" sounds like the title, a wild shuffle where Nils get to shred away in full throttle, muscled along by the driving arrangement, flute in tow. Great piano work, orchestrations that punctuate the theme relentlessly and 'moving with authority'. With a spirited finale like the majestic "Look Across the Sea" , featuring another Nils Conrad foray (and a damn good one too) and perfectly sung melody , the tribute ends with an inescapable smile at a work worthy of its source. A reprise of the "Time Out" melody shows one how it feels to be Thick as a Brick.

Perhaps 'the master of the house is far away ' but Lutz has kept 'the home fire burning' .

4.5 Gerald Bostons

One of the best albums of the year so far, 4.5 stars!