FIELDS

English Progressive Rock band "Fields" has an interesting eponymous debut record here. On paper, this lineup is a big three of Andrew MuCulloch (KC, Greenslade, Manfred Mann), Graham Field (Rare Bird), and Alan Barry (who worked with the Giles brothers), but they were shortlived, and thus only released this sole record in 1971. They ended up recording their entire second album, but CBS shelved it and eventually released it as a compilation in 2015. This is a pretty proto-typical heavy prog album, with some really good moments and some very meh moments.

Immediately from the opening Hammond organ notes of "A Friend of Mine," you can tell the Jon Lord-esque playing style of keyboardist Graham Field. I'd say this song is one of, if not my favorite on the album. Although it is a bit cliche, I enjoy the lyrics and medieval progression, and Alan Barry's voice is not bad either. "While The Sun Still Shines," follows up the nice opener, and it's nothing special. It's one of the weaker moments on here. I haven't read much praise about this ballad, but "Not So Good" is quite nice and a great contrast to the often "over the top" organ and heavy interludes on the rest of the album. The tribal beating of the talking drum opens "Three Minstrels," which is a very old English-sounding anthem. Alan Barry pulls his weight here, contributing powerful vocals, piercing guitar, and bass. The side closes with "Slow Susan" which is just easily the worst song on here in my opinion, and a very obvious throwaway by the band.

Side 2 opens with one of my favorite songs from this album: "Over and Over Again." It's the longest track on here at almost 6 minutes but the Hammond work on here is irrefutably amazing. After the awesome organ intro, Alan Barry starts belting out his lines over some nice progressions to make for a very enjoyable listen. Andrew MuCulloch's drumming rounds out the song and fills the gaps, to create an extremely tight sound. After this track, there is a basic track "Feeling Free," which is less than remarkable, and the very mediocre "Fair-Haired Lady" which is one of the weaker moments on this album once again. "The Eagle," closes the album on a great note, as this is a very strong, progressive, and mellotron-filled track with classical influence. I would've loved to see the band try more tracks like this throughout the LP, but alas we were left with this sole example of what Fields was truly capable of.

The sheer musicianship and raw talent of this group of guys playing together is off the charts. Although this effort isn't very refined, it has its moments and I think, had this group been seen out, they could've meshed into something much greater. That being said I think this is a solid completionist album, with some nice cuts, and I would recommend this to Uriah Heep and Kansas fans.

FIELDS isn't the most inspiring of names for a heavy Prog-Rock band, but this British band were named after their keyboard player, Graham Field, a founder member of Rare Bird. This self-titled album is another rare bird as it's a one-off album. Another album was recorded a year later in 1972, but their record company CBS shelved it and the album wouldn't be released until 2015 with the title, "Contrasts: Urban Roar to Country Peace". A remastered CD of the original Fields album was released in 2010 with two bonus tracks added to the original ten songs. Let's take a wander through the Fields now and have a listen.

The album opens in fine booming and bombastic style with "A Friend of Mine", a rollicking song driven by the sound of the powerful Hammond organ. As Ozzy Osbourne would say, "It's Rock & Roll!", and very good it is too. The song has something of a baroque feel to it, with the organist throwing in a few classically-inspired fugues for good measure. Onwards now to "While the Sun Shines", an uplifting number which you can feel free to enjoy while walking through Fields of golden barley in the warm sunshine. "Not So Good" is next, but it IS good! It's an emotionally appealing song designed to pull on the heartstrings. It's a deep and meaningful lyric with the dulcet tones of the singer giving it his all in an impassioned plea. We're getting all Folky now for the next song, "Three Minstrels", but this is Folk with a rockin' attitude. These guys could liven up any laid-back Folk-Rock convention with this very unconventional slice of rumbunctious Folk music. "Slow Susan" is next, and slow it is, but in a good way. It's always good to slot in a slow number every now and again in the middle of a rocking and rolling album. The organ soloist is in church fugue mode as he takes us on an inspirational journey in this lovely instrumental number. It's enough to make an atheist get all religious. If only all church organists were this good, parishioners would be flocking to church in their droves.

Side Two opens with "Over and Over Again", a rollicking song with it's powerful throbbing rhythm. It's another keyboard-driven ELP-style number, but without the stage antics and keyboard histrionics. It's just a good solid slice of heavy British Rock. There's a change of pace now with "Feeling Free", a rousing and uplifting song full of joy and happiness, just as the song title implies. Next up is "Fair-Haired Lady", a mournful but beautifully romantic ballad with the silver-toned singer pouring his heart out. It's a song which Uriah Heep might have recorded in one of their quieter reflective moments. Onto the penultimate song on the album and "A Place To Lay My Head", a nice solid slice of bluesy and soulful British Rock. And now we come to the final song and the highlight of the album, "The Eagle". The organist displays his classical credentials in fine style here with what sounds like a Bach cantata, before embarking on an impressive display of keyboard dexterity on the organ and then bringing the album to a close with a soothing and sophisticated piano piece. A beautiful piece of music to put the icing on the cake of a great album.

A good solid album full to the brim with the sound of powerful, organ-driven, heavy British Rock. If you're in the mood for some pile-driving, take-no-prisoners Rock, with a liberal helping of mellifluous melodies thrown in too, then this is the album for you. These are Fields of Gold!

What a lovely surprise this album was. I can't believe I never heard it before. I wouldn't claim it's among my personal top 20 favorites of all time, but in my book every serious prog fan should have this album. The best parts are downright brilliant, the weakest parts are not at all bad. First of all i love the sound quality and the tightness of the band's playing. It's a very clean and clever production. It has some very nice melodic qualities about it. Fat and playful organ, wonderful vocals, dynamic bass and the drummer McCullogh is all over the place. He was the only member of this band that I was already familiar with, being a fan of Greenslade as well. Very innovative and exciting drummer he was. My favorite tracks would be the opening "A Friend of Mine" and "Over and over again". On the less strong side I would pick out "Slow Susan" and "Fair-Haired Lady". They are not bad, but yet still not quite up there to me. I must admit I was a bit skeptic when I first saw the line-up. Organ, drums and a singing bass player....now where have I heard that before? Well, I don't think they sound anything like ELP. Not that ELP is a bad thing to clone, I adore them to pieces, but I prefer to listen to something a bit more original and Fields did their own thing and I really fell for it. This album is just very good. Buy it and listen to it.

2010 saw a nice remaster of this disc from Esoteric including an account of keyboardist Graham Field's messy and sordid affairs with various record companies [for both Rare Bird and this project] during the turbulent period that was the early 1970s. No huge surprise that a quality prog band, even in 1971, would have to struggle just to stay afloat and as with so many of them, it's a miracle the album saw any daylight at all-- "..in circumstances like this records don't get released, they escape", recalls Field quoting an industry friend. Eventually he dropped the rock scene entirely, drummer Andy McCulloch hooked-up with Dave Greenslade and bassist/guitarist Alan Barry became a session man. But not before laying down a damn fine little set of prog that could be compared to peers Quatermass, Argent, Greenslade, Rooster now&then, maybe early ELP, with heavy duty organ-rich artrock, walls of sound and soulful performances from this mere trio.

The songs themselves are fine if forgettable, Graham Field finding no 'Sympathy' here and in need of a good producer to sharpen the material, clean up the sound and keep the focal point. However his keys are outstanding (at times even mimicking a synth) as on very good Bach-rocker 'A Friend of Mine'. Off-kilter radio/post-hippie claptrap 'While the Sun Still Shines' passes while hysterically cynical 'Not So Good' moans of cultural decay, leaving 'Three Minstrels' in its wake, funereal 'Slow Susan' tailed by tasty jam 'Over and Over Again' filled with Field's chops on organ and the tight backup of McCulloch/Barry. Gospels 'Feeling Free' & 'A Place to Lay My Head' are almost Joe Cocker-like in their evangelism, and 'The Eagle' finishes on a very prog note featuring a brief salute to Pachelbel and a slight suggestion of Genesis; an outstanding arrangement and the instrumental highlight of the LP. Really very nice, especially for these bunch of grunts.

Surely there are fumbles here; nasty, bitter hunks of offal; varietal cuts of questionable edibility. On top of that, only about half the stuff is really good. But if you like a nice slab of headcheese or blood sausage now&then, Graham Field's band were respectable heavy proggers in the most dangerous and unpredictable way. Which is of course the best way.

Now here's a curio ripe for a revisit.

Quickly, Fields was Rare Bird's main keyboard man Graham Field's first (last?) post-Bird project. Bringing at least a little of the early Rare Bird vibe along for the ride, albeit with one keyboardist rather than two, bassist/guitarist/composer/vocalist Alan Barry and drummer Andy McCulloch (between stints in Crimson and Greenslade) shore up the incredibly full sound for a very unique and melodic prog album.

Field and McCulloch shine like you'd expect, but it's Barry who impresses the most here. His pitch-perfect tenor sails over all these great songs and provides a real nice mechanism for exploiting these beautiful melodies. I'd love to know whatever became of Alan Barry after such a powerful performance here. Barry's previous stints as session man for Gordon Haskell's It Is and It Isn't album and as part of one the Giles brothers' pre-GG&F bands are pretty much all I can find on this guy's skimpy resume.

Like another well known keyboard-based 3-piece band, Refugee, Fields only managed this one album before imploding. It's been long out of print but worthy of a search for all keyboard-obsessed melodic, yet heavy prog nuts out there - you know who you are!

Tis a crime that this absolute joy of an album is somehow overlooked by the majority of prog heads! Each and every song will delight the eardrums as the albums songs seem to float around you. There is nothing particularly flashy about the music itself, just quality track after quality track. While they are listed as Heavy Prog I'd say they'd have to on the light end of that subgenre and their music is accessible to anyone carrying an appreciation for the prog of the 70s (and who here doesn't). There is one stand out highlight on this album that rises just a cut above the already excellent quality of the other track, that being the final track The Eagle which is just a fantastic resculpting of Pachelbel's Canon in D Major. This should serve as an example to all of how to add onto such a classic without losing anything from the original piece. I encourage all from far and wide to search far and wide to find themselves a copy of this sadly forgotten gem. Fields recieves 4.25 out of 5.

It IS rubbish to slam this most wonderful album! I am glad some people can appreciate what IS a forgotten masterpiece by this threesome. Graham Field was of course a founding member of Rare Bird, but if you expect the same kind of abrasive proto metal only with organ doing all of it that Rare Bird did (and did pretty well) you may be shocked. Field is augmented by great ex King Crimson drummer Andy McCullough and the brilliant Alan Barry on vocals/guitars/bass for what is a lost masterpiece of melodic, thoughtful, and engaging progressive rock. You may expect this album to be an ELP type no guitar and organ bashing affair- it most certainly is not. The heavy organ passages are tasteful and really imaginative while every song on the album is soaring and melodic. Alan Barry's high pitched strong and melodic voice begs comparison with Jon Anderson or a higher pitched Gary Brooker and the Procol Harum influence is quite strong on nearly every track. The sparingly used guitar passages are very nicely executed and not one track on this album is a weak link. For pop influenced melodic progrock this is one of the top 3 or 4 and still less expensive than some other great ones. Favourite tracks here include the majestic opener 'A Friend Of Mine," the folk-tinged "Three Minstrels", and the very catchy "While The Sun Still Shines." This is a very adventurous and also very friendly album with a warm, soothing atmosphere to most of it and exciting musicianship and great vocals to the fore. If you like keyboard oriented progressive rock with emphasis on melody this is an essential album and may surprise you! I've always really loved this album and think it's a shame that people's descriptions of it so often take the easy way out by saying they sound like a cross between King Crimson and Rare Bird. This really is a very unique album, but the closest reference point may be somewhere between King Crimson and Thunderclap Newman mainly because of similar late 60s/early 70s pop influences. A truly wonderful and great album, this is an essential record for your collection. Original copies came with a large poster and these are particularly rare. Find this album and treasure it!

Some sort of supergroup that was not one. Field was from Rare Bird and McCullough was from Crimson (Lizard) and will be in Greenslade later and Barry was also from another band (I read somewhere he had played with the Giles (KC)brothers) but this did not amount to much on this vynil. I guess what was lacking was a real leader with inspiration and drive. The music is not bad , but hardly a "find"and should by no means be high on your priority list . If you are (like me) scraping the entire earth to find forgotten, lost , hidden gems of the 70's , you might want to check this out , but unless you are quite easy to please , you will not find that many satisfaction as this is second league stuff. Sufficiently apt musicians but lacking relevance in the prog rock history.