MORGAN

When I first listened to Nova Solis, I was but a baby prog head and I thought that it sucked and that I would never listen to it again.

Well I was extremely wrong, after giving it a relisten(is that even a word?) I decided to instantly purchase a copy and decided on a Japanese release which is so cool looking but I digress. I know very little about the band Morgan but I do know that Nova Solis kicks butt.

First off, this LP manages to master the ability to confuse you beyond belief but also have a complete grasp on reality. If that makes any sense. The keyboards will go all over the place and send everything into chaotic flurries yet there is still control.

Secondly this album as mentioned by other reviewers encapsulates all that prog should be, unique, complex, innovative, and strange. From the odd sitar sounding thing, to the alien space battle or whatever is going on in the title track, Morgan has it all.

Third, if you love bass like me, well listen to this album because it's got plenty to go around.

My favorite tracks are Alone and War Games. Alone is very somber and pretty and War Games just brings joy through the form of head banging to that bass.

Essentially if you like symphonic prog, do yourself a favor and listen to this album.

Many years ago I got this CD to review, nobody knew what to do with it, and in the end they handle it to me, due to the amount of Hammond organ.Morgan was an UK four piece band, founded in 1971 and featuring Morgan Fisher (keyboards), Tim Staffel (vocals, tambourine and 6 ' and 12-string acoustic guitars), Robert Sapsed (electric fretless bass) and Mo Bacon (drums and percussion). Before Morgan signed a contract for their debut album at the Italian RCA office, ex-King Crimson member Ian McDonald shortly joined Morgan. Morgan Fisher later joined the Third Ear Band and Mott he Hoople. And about Tim Staffel, once he played in Smile in which he was replaced by Freddy Mercury, the rest is history! In the wonderful 16-page booklet you can read the story of Morgan, it's interesting and a bit weird, just like Morgan their sound.

My first musical impression of Morgan is that they sound like bands from the Early British Progressive Rock Movement. These bands (from Rare Bird, Beggar's Opera and Greenslade to Fantasy, Gracious and Spring) were inspired by the sound of legendary late Sixties formations like The Moody Blues, Procol Harum and The Nice. The music delivers pleasant work on guitar and vintage keyboards, especially the Hammond organ and Mellotron. But there is also an important role for the vocals and a melodic structure. The main differences between the aforementioned formations and Morgan are the variety and the avant-garde element. That's also the reason that Morgan didn't succeed to get a contract in the UK, despite their serie of concerts in the London music temple The Marquee.

The first three tracks sound melodic and varied. Fat synthesizer flights evoke ELP and Banco in Samarkhand The Golden, from mellow with twanging acoustic guitar and warm vocals to a slow rhythm with Hammond organ and piano in Alone. And from swinging to bombastic with a very tasteful keyboard colouring (piano, spinet, organ and synthesizer) in War Games. But then starts the epic composition Nova Solis ' A Suite, divided into nine parts. It's an adventurous musical journey that will bring you from 24-carat symphonic rock to avant-garde. Very interesting but you have to be up this kind of music: the one moment you hear a fluent rhythm with swinging piano, an Emersonian organ or synthesizer solo or acoustic guitar with vocals, the other moment you hear weird sounds, a jazzy piano solo that culminates into avant-garde or experimental synthesizer work.

According to the liner notes Morgan was ahead of its time, I am glad that this remastered CD gives the progheads the chance to listen to this very interesting, genuine progressive rock band from the early Seventies. And it's no coincidence that the band was asked to attend the Italian RCA office and later had success in Italy. Because their sound matched perfectly with the more adventurous and varied Italian progrock in the early Seventies.

My rating: 3,5 star.

A very unique record that holds a special place in my heart. Any classic proghead should give it a try, especially if they're a fan of crazy keyboard virtuosity (ELP comes to mind easily, though Morgan are, by no means, copycats!). I love everything about this record - the fantastic and very clever compositions, the omnipresent furious keyboards (mostly piano and analog synths) paired with exteremely tight and awesome rhythm section, the unique, symphonic/rock vocals and intriguing lyrics - The Sleeper Wakes has it all. Let me also mention that "What Is - Is What" is, no doubt, one of my favourite prog rock epics of all time. So clever and unique. This album definitely deserves more love. Go give it some, would you?

An obscure British prog-rock band from the early Seventies, Morgan took their name from keyboard player Morgan Fisher (a future member of Mott the Hoople), so it should come as no surprise that his playing dominates much of the music! Performing in a mostly symphonic style with plenty of spacey flourishes and pop vocal melodies on their 1972 debut `Nova Solis', he was ably supported by Robert Sapsed's nicely fat and upfront bass, with Maurice Bacon's thrashing and busy charge of drums/percussion constantly powering behind the oceans of keyboards. Guitars are absent with the exception of short acoustic passages supplied by vocalist Tim Staffel, forever associated with his connection to the pre-Queen band Smile that featured guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor. Sadly he sometimes falls back on a painful falsetto, but other times his confidence and optimism perfectly carries the music forwards, and the band often deliver passages similar to those found on King Crimson, Greenslade and Argent albums from the same era.

The first side presents three short to medium length pieces, all of them crossing back and forth between grand symphonic themes, dazzling instrumental prowess and slick rock/pop melodies. Opener `Samarkand the Golden' is the punchiest and most tightly-written moment on the disc, full of grooving spasms powered by Maurice's snappy drumming, Robert's grumbling and deliciously aggressive bass, and no shortage of creaking King Crimson-flavoured infernal Mellotron, glistening electric piano and bubbling Moog tastiness from Morgan. Tim's voice moves between high-pitched croons and gutsier snarls, sometimes reminding of Greenslade/Samurai vocalist Dave Lawson as well. It serves him well on ballad `Alone', delivering a nice variety of weary treated lead vocals in the verses that turn warmly optimistic for the chorus, plus his ethereal background harmonies are haunting. Instrumentally it sits somewhere alongside the softer melancholic moments on the first few King Crimson albums, but an instrumental interlude in the middle is grand and dreamy in the classic Genesis manner.

The up-tempo and excited `War Games' reminds of both Argent and parts of Curved Air, letting rip with ravishing electric piano runs and dazzling harpsichord-like keys to provide a boppy infectiousness, but the overexcited lead vocal is a little on the grating side. The entire second side is then made up of a nine-part suite, loaded with a variety of ambitious ideas. It opens with a grand whirring lead theme that bookends the epic, moving through everything from slightly obnoxious jazzy poppy vocal pieces, droning ambience, aimless spacey noodling ala `Moonchild' off the Crimson debut, more inviting acoustic guitar balladry and loopy runaway instrumentals that again call to mind Greenslade, and it's certainly an eclectic set of fragmented ideas.

`Nova Solis' proves to be a real grower of a prog-rock work, with just a few little issues perhaps holding it back from achieving true greatness. Although the vocals are hardly a deal-breaker, it must be said that the disc really takes off every time the singing stops, allowing the instrumental playing to soar to greater heights. The extended side-long suite on the second side also doesn't flow together particularly well, but admittedly all the individual little ideas and segments sound plenty tasty on their own merits even if they're never developed properly into something more cohesive. But the album is likely to be a keyboard lovers paradise, is full of positive energy, melodic tunes and excited playing from all the performers, and it makes Morgan and `Nova Solis' a very worthwhile addition for those prog-rock collectors looking for lesser known but still plenty rewarding extras to add to their library.

Three and a half stars.

(Dedicated to Mike Hewetson, the biggest `Nova Solis' fan I know!)

This was Morgan's debut album, released in 1972. Along with Morgan Fisher (keys) were Tim Staffell (acoustic guitar/vocals, always to be remembered as the singer in Smile which was the pre-Queen outfit), bassist Bob Sapsed and drummer Maurice Bacon. Listening to this album now, for the first time on CD, it is interesting to hear just how similar this is in many ways to ELP. Morgan shows himself to be a fine keyboard player who loved to use his moog and mellotron whenever possible. While there are very complex pieces here (the closing title cut is over twenty minutes long), there is even a Greg Lake?style acoustic number "Alone", which Tim apparently performed at his audition with the band and got himself the gig. Although parts of it do sound quite dated, it is an album that I think any lover of classic ELP will also enjoy. It is different enough not to be called copyist, while at the same time still maintaining certain similarities. Anybody approaching this album for the first time will be pleasantly surprised. Although there are no bonus cuts, there is plenty of extra information and photographs, as one would expect from an Angel Air release.

Originally appeared in Feedback #60

The only thing that strikes me as odd is that Morgan has had to come to Italy to record (and published) this album. Why, then, as too many bands (not just between RCA's bands) has disappeared as a band. Considering the high quality of music presented can only regret that this band has produced one album and has recorded a second album (released posthumously). Morgan was a band formed by great musicians, all with previous experience in famous bands (but today interesting for the presence of vocalist Tim Staffel, former Smile [pre Queen]).

The music is good, a mix between ELP, King Crimson, Yes but it is strange As there are echoes of Italian bands of the period, perhaps because many of Italian bands were trying to copy English andAmerican music (not that this is a fault, after all). (Probably the echo of Italian Prog is due to certain sounds of synths, because programmed with Italian programmers). In all these compositions like "War Games" or "Alone", shine a bright light. Although the production is a little flat (defect typical of Italian productions of the period) and it sounds so Banco del Mutuo Soccorso I can say that "Nova Solis" is an album of a band that deserved to go to the Olympus of the great bands of the 70's. Also because the suite "Nova Solis" it sounds very Yes in some parts and Greenslade in others, as well as incorporating elements of King Crimson, ELP, and other similar bands, to the point that it could be said to see in it a very personal style.

Although "Nova Solis" is an album of a minor success band, is an excellent album, that can still be good today and, indeed, to convey the same emotions as that emitted in 1972.

I purchased this album primarily because I wanted to see what Tim Staffel got up to after leaving Smile. As a big Smile fan (as big a fan as one can be for a group that released only 6 songs clocking in for a total of less than 30 minutes), I had hoped for a bit of that Smile sound in this album. I wasn't quite sure what to expect of keyboardist Fisher, as I knew he would later go on to Mott the Hoople, and although a fan of that band, I wasn't sure how much in terms of "chops" the guy had. I was disappointed on neither account.

The vocal portions are quite reminiscent of the Smile/early Queen sound, especially on the Staffel penned "Alone" and on the chorus of "War Games" and of course on the old Smile tune "Earth" which made its way into the middle of the epic "Nova Solis". As others have said, the instrumental work reminds me a lot of ELP, that is bombastic, pretentious and a whole lot of fun. Fisher tackles the keys as ably as Emerson, and the bassist and drummer (Robert Sapsed and Mo Bacon respectively) are more than capable of keeping up and providing some over the top playing to go along with the over the top keyboard work of Fisher.

The epic "Nova Solis" is actually three songs, "Floating", the previously mentioned "Earth" and "May I Remember" connected with interwoven instrumental passages composed by Fisher (think Tarkus here). "Alone" is more of an accoustic song and definitely reminds of Smile, and a bit of the more accoustic ELP style. "War Games" has a bouncy, rhythmic piano during the verses, and the choruses are definitely Smile or early Queen in their sound. The opening track, "Samarkhand the Golden" kicks things off with ample amounts of pomp. This is an easy 4-star album, a great edition to anyone's prog collection. If you are a fan of Smile or early-Queen and ELP, add a star, as this is essential listening.

Morgan Fisher is a genius.

There, I said it. I mean, how else could he make some of the most inventive and interesting prog rock on the planet and end up in his late 50s writing music for commercials in Japan, and getting a pretty penny for it I would hope. Sounds like a good gig to me, and a good life lived for this king of B-list prog, master of the sideshow and winner of countless Best Music No One Really Cares About awards. I don't know, maybe Fisher's playfulness appeals to me (something usually missing from today's prog). Or maybe his truly impressive musical range and compositional gifts are just too hard to ignore despite the funhouse feeling on this debut from 1972. And then there's the spectacle. All I know is Nova Solis is spilling over with atmosphere and imagery, and the fact is that Morgan Fisher gave more on his records than many of the bigger names of the time. It's an album wherein, as John Lennon said of Mr. Kite; "You should be able to smell the peanuts".

Solis is an extravaganza of what had become possible with the rock format, a parade of idea after idea passing like giant floats, each eagerly waiting in line to be revealed. This is prog when things were closer to the wild west, with as many snakeoil salesmen and roaming criminals as reliable merchants and ranchers. But among the scoundrels, Morgan Fisher and songwriting partner Tim Staffell were legit. Simply put, this LP was the sh*t-- the absolutely real thing, authentic, strong as aged goat cheese and stinking of a far off place where no good things were happening. It's what the guys who have heard it all and know classic era prog inside & out quietly listen to when no one else is around. Every aging, coffee-swilling cigarette smoker with a bad hankerin' for prog and a tragically steady paycheck who's collection from Britain between 1969 and 1979 is larger than that thing they launched the space shuttle from will deny to their death this is the godsmack of second tier symphonic prog. But it is and they know it.

Similarities are hard to peg for these guys, it was such an original group. Certainly the brilliant descriptive and incidental work of Raymond Scott is apparent in Fisher's material, as well as Syd Barrett's sense of adventure, the circuses of Dave Greenslade and maybe a whiff of Zappa. 'Samarkhand the Golden' is wonderful vintage stuff enhanced liberally by Fisher's VCS 3 synth, Hohner & DK 1, Mo Bacon's eager drums and bassist Rob Sapsed doing a heroic job enhancing Fisher and Staffell's arrangement. Derivative 'Alone' is a miss but 'War Games' rocks, Bacon tearing up his drums, Staffell's vaguely biblical lyric and giddy vocal, and Fisher terrific on all number of keys from a Steinway Grand to a Hammond to a Spinet as he knits up the background, always sure to never let a good moment go to waste. Holst's 'Jupiter' from The Planets starts the second half, the nine part title piece. It's not long before things start melting apart into sound effects and space sickness but Morgan picks it up and pumps out the prog; mean organ flurries, unexpected jazzplay, piano lines merging into squealing synths, descriptive mood-setting, carousels, calliopes, histrionic dramaturgy, and more Holst at the end.

A one of a kind release by a band that epitomised the working prog musician and what a few inspired guys could do with some good equipment. Someday along your listening journey, Morgan Fisher's work deserves your attention. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow. But soon, and for the rest of your life.

This album shadowed by its recognized predecessor "Nova Solis" 1972 has exceeded all my expectations. Unlike "Nova Solis" (which generally speaking is a kind of "mix bag" of pop, sympho with some jazz-rock-fusion touches) here we have one of the very beautiful, uniquely formed, crafted, keyboard-driven kind of sympho-rock and jazz-rock outfits. To get a rough idea just imagine how it could be if ELP would play jazz-rock. Morgan Fisher has proofed him self as one of the most intricate keyboard wizards (Moraz-Wakeman-Emerson level). The album was tragically underrated at the time due to poor promotion. In US the album was issued in 1976 by title "Brown Out". A must for all fans of keyboard dominated type of symphonic-rock direction. Highly recommended, five stars without any doubts! Progressively yours. Dreamfish.

Music is the literature of the heart; it commences where speech ends (Alphonse de Lamartine)

Smarkhand the Golden - For those scholarly and academic types out there (of which I am neither) this 8 minute epic may be based on a poem by James Elroy Flecker called The Golden Journey to Samarkand written circa 1913 (just after he puts the kids to bed) But no, I don't have a clue what Mr Flecker or Morgan are babbling on about, except that Samarkhand just might stand as a (lazy) metaphor for exoticism and wise up, this type of stupefied romanticism was ripe for those woolly heads sliced into the prog basket by revolting punks. (n'est pas?) The piece is very well arranged with good and judicious use of competing meters, dynamic contrasts/timbre and pace together with some mouth watering synth work from Morgan Fisher, who appears to have sold himself rather short with his subsequent stint in the decent but undistinguished Mott the Hoople ? (Everyone has to the pay the rent after all)

I was quite astonished at just how technically accomplished and advanced Mr F's playing and writing is, and those of you with a fondness for analogue synth weirdness, gritty Hammond organ and Usain Bolt piano may well be in hog heaven with this album. (Must dig out my long abandoned Mott the Hoople LP to see if I can catch a glimpse of this turncoat progger)

Unfortunately, this one man jury is still out on the vocals of Tim Staffel, which irritate and delight in equal measure, with his delivery alternating between egomaniacal showmanship and quirky excitability. Yep, our Tim is one of those vocalists blessed with an admirable range, but he cannot bear to let the listener ever forget this for a second. I like his voice very much in the lower to mid range area, but unlike most of the dogs in our neighbourhood, do not care for his tonsilry in the upper registers. At times he comes across as a jollier version of Robert Smith or Kevin Rowland selling fish at Billingsgate Market.

Alone - Vaguely reminiscent of Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds as if played over different chords, but a very strong song delivered with some restraint by the previously histrionic Staffel, who dispenses with his irritating falsetto conceits as heard on the opening track. The band sensibly douse their fiery bombast on this one, and let a very strong vocal track breathe by accentuating the melody and not overpowering the delicate fingerpicked guitar accompaniment.

War Games - Inside every progger there is a peace emissary just bursting to get out it would seem. Ah, the futility of war (most of which are waged to allow us the right to condemn their stupidity) Lovely dislocated jazzy piano on this one replete with another strong tune before a very skilful transition of pace into the Tonight we ride on Bethlehem section which employs a sloping and languid groove in perfect empathy with Staffel's warbling melody. Thereafter, we encounter a bewildering array of start/stop section writing but Morgan carry off this tricky compositional device admirably. If overdone, this technique can condemn the music to incoherence or sounding contrived, but the band exercise just enough suitable restraint in this area. Lovely snaky bass from Sapsed and I particularly like his tone throughout this record. Gutsy, but neither distorted or flat and woolly (see the 1st two Crimson albums)

Nova Solis - In keeping with symphonic prog's time honoured recipe, this 20 minute monster opens with a suitably bombastic adaptation of a classical piece, re the Planets Suite by Holst. Great fun all round, with synth pyrotechnics flying left, right and centre and buried distantly way back in the bowels of the mix, the sound of the inconsolable sobbing of the composer. At it's conclusion we meet the eerie morse code distress signal as tapped out on a Moog in homage to the latter's Mars, the Bringer of War. Yet more dizzying piano from Fisher which provides some welcome relief from Staffel's affected and wearying bonhomie during the sung section. Even through a ring modulator (as they attempt here) his voice still cannot be cajoled into anything other than mildly annoying. The noodling bass departure and spacey sound collage that follows is entertaining, but strictly atmospheric filler. Strummed acoustic guitar chords introduce a very robust song section, ah this is better lads, please keep it up. This is shaping up to be the highlight of the album and even Timmy boy is a delight on this part. Some very brisk ostinato passages follow which are reminiscent of the instrumental portions of 'Tarkus' and Morgan even preface the Latin flavoured live improv of Aquatarkus as heard on Welcome Back My Friends. However, these are merely reference points, and although the influence is palpable the music is not merely a slavish reproduction, so let's not get too picky here. Perhaps the comparisons to ELP crop up simply because there is no electric guitar on this record ? (or they both have an irritating singer, Go figure)

All the ingredients that go to baking a yummy prog puddy are here in abundance, with liberal garnishes of ELP, Argent, Greenslade, Yes and all the other celebrity chefs you can shake a ribbon controller at. Although many of the compositional structures and instrumentation employed do ape the gatefold masterpieces of yore, the music itself is very accomplished and certainly on a par with much of the output from that golden age of caped young men in tight pants.

There is a prevailing tendency to appraise Nova Solis as though it were a rather cold and calculated foray into the then burgeoning prog marketplace by some unscrupulous musos and record executives, but I can honestly say that such skulduggery cannot be deduced from the very fine music that is contained therein

(They mean it man, so who cares)