MICKEY SIMMONDS

The Shape of Rain was Mickey Simmonds first solo record. It was released in 1996, the same year that saw the release of Camel's Harbour of Tears album on which Simmonds played keyboards. Before that Simmonds had toured with Camel in support of Dust and Dreams (and his playing can be heard on the excellent live album Never Let Go). These Camel albums as well as Stationary Traveller are indeed relevant reference points when describing the sound and mood of The Shape of Rain.

There is a concept behind the album and there are many parts with vocals telling the sad story of a troubled girl, though personally I like the instrumental parts best. The album is more cohesive than the follow-up Seven Colours of Emptiness.

Overall, a quality album.

I discovered Mickey Simmonds solo career in reverse chronological order, starting with his most recent album to date (2021's III) which impressed me a great deal. While that album was a bit like a cross between Mike Oldfield and Keith Emerson, The Seven Colours of Emptiness is more like 90's Camel (with whom Simmonds played during that decade). There are lots of "big", emotionally loaded lead guitar parts, and unlike on III there are vocals here. It is unclear to me if everything is done by Simmonds himself, since no other musicians are credited. If it is really all him, it is quite impressive!

But even if The Seven Colours of Emptiness is a thoroughly enjoyable album with many strong parts, it is a bit overlong at 67+ minutes and there is a feeling that the good musical ideas found within could have been concentrated into a shorter running time for better effect. Also, the album tends to pull into too many directions even if it is held together by returning musical themes.

Personally, I like the III album a lot more than The Seven Colours of Emptiness, but I'm sure there are others who would feel the other way. In any case, Mickey Simmonds' music should definitely be heard by more people.

When Mickey Simmonds was proposed for addition to our archives, his name rang a bell. Where had I heard that name before? Ah, he has played with one of my all-time favourite bands - Camel, in the 90's. Also, he played with Renaissance for a while, as well as with Mike Oldfield and Fish. So, Simmonds should have been on my radar. But I didn't know that he had released three solo albums, or what to expect from his solo career. What I found here on his third album from 2021 was nothing short of a hidden treasure of keyboard heavy, instrumental symphonic progressive Rock with elements of the bands and artists Simmonds had played with before, as well as a strong influence from Keith Emerson to whom this album is dedicated as a tribute. Simmonds piano work is at times very Emerson-like.

I liked this album instantly, and then it grew on me more and more with each further listen, and I have been playing it a lot since I downloaded the music from Simmonds' official website. It is a digital only release and only available in mp3 format. It deserves a proper CD and vinyl release because the music is simply fantastic!

Besides Simmonds excellent keyboard playing, there is terrific drumming credited to Francesco Lucidi, and Garry Barnacle and Micky Moody appear on one track each on flute and guitar respectively. Moody's spot is a piece of heavy, bluesy Rock. Other instruments are probably handled by Simmonds himself as there are no further credits.

Overall, III is a magnificent album that I'm very happy to have discovered, and to recommend to anyone who likes instrumental Prog.