GARY BOYLE

Guitarist Gary Boyle was born in India, 1941. In the early sixties he attended the Leeds College of Music in the north of England. Before releasing his solo debut album in 1977, Boyle had played and recorded with many kinds of artists, e.g. Dusty Springfield, Bert Jansch, Keith Tippett and Stomu Yamash'ta, and had founded his own fusion group Isotope in 1973. So deservedly his solo career got a good start: he was voted New Star in the Melody Maker Poll and his debut The Dancer won the Pop/Jazz Award at the Montreux International Jazz Festival.

Step Out is Boyle's third solo album. The line-up consists of himself (guitars), Paul Birchall (keyboards), Gary Culshaw (bass) and Graham Dean (drums). There are also some Scandinavian guest musicians involved, most notably Stefan Nilsson on Prophet-5 synthesiser. The album was recorded in Denmark if I'm not mistaken. The opening piece 'Jeanie's Dance' is light-hearted funk-jazz. The basic groove stays pretty constant except for some happy little bursts with semi- soloing. 'Numb Thumb' is also based on a funky groove, and especially the keyboard solo feels delightful. 'Step Out' continues in the similar fashion. The rhythm section plus percussionist Jacob Andersen do great job and the staccato piano playing makes you smile. Some of the 36-minute album's eight compositions perhaps lack the final spark. Boyle's guitar is of course always there but often in a very democratic spirit.

Finally on 'Periscope' the electric guitar steals the show with fast and virtuotic soloing. 'Fuchi Cé Pesta' has a Latin feel in its fast tempo. At this point the listener probably starts to crave for something mellower, and the wish is fulfilled with beautiful 'Thinking of You' featuring lovely flute work from Björn J:son Lindh. My countryman Jukka Tolonen and his more romantic compositions on albums such as Summer Games would serve as a good reference. 'Gitte' is the other number to feature the flute, albeit in a smaller role and in a lively funk groove environment. The final piece 'So Many Times Before' is a slowish song featuring Gary Boyle on vocals too. His vocals are very pleasant and the relaxed, slightly romantic song is a great way to end this enjoyable album.

This album isn't the most original creation of its genre, but it's warmly recommended for the friends of funk-flavoured fusion. 3½ stars rounded down for the shortness and a slight feeling of sameness in the groove especially on the a side. But nevertheless this is a happy listening with excellent musicianship.

"Snap Crackle" starts off on a bright and upbeat note. Classic Fusion with some Funk (as Boyle does). Oh, and Gary's on fire, you say? Yeah, of course he is haha. Some of the sonic choices very much remind me of Steely Dan's Aja. Even for the names I find less recognizable, it's clear this band was stacked. Next is the... wild "Hayabusa"... Like... what is going on now?! haha. What a change in pace! And that pace is rapido. Guitar wizardry galore, from shred and the cleanest, fastest rhythm lines you'll hear to just phenomenal flavors and tones. At one point, sort of reminded me of the pick-every-note style of contemporary guitar great Al Di Meola. This is definitely the sort of thing I would look for in my Fusion. Fantastic start.

Our title track is next, "Electric Glide", and glide we do into a smooooth, smooth number. The percussion here is definitely winning. As if we didn't already know from his first, Gary and Co. are more than capable of laying back and beautifying, too. "Morning Father Joys" continues in the softness, but in a folksy (at times flamenco?) acoustic mode. Quite the change. I like this quite a bit, as a fan of America, for instance, since forever. And even in this, as I mentioned flamenco, there is some wild, impressive playing here as well. "Gaz" brings us on back to Brand X-style Funk Fusion. Cool, cool Funk Fusion, at that. Most of the playing is soft and effects-laden, but around the minute mark is this just frankly entirely unexpected blazing guitar solo haha. A tad longwinded, if anything though.

In our backend, "It's Almost Light Again" unsurprisingly takes us back to the soft and sweet. A lot of tasteful drummin' and bass-playin'. Very pretty. Plenty to like, but not insanely grabbing. "Grumble" is next with some more melodic bass. And impressive drum work to match. I like these final tracks more than "Good", and yet he's done better. We'll all take reprieves and pauses from the norm, but that feels like half the album... "Brat No. 2" is our closer, featuring more delicious acoustic guitar. Not my favorite album closer either... Unfortunate, I suppose?

I feel convicted in this way and therefore back to my old (more hesitant) ways. An appropriate rounding-down...

True Rate: 3.5/5.0

"Cowshed Shuffle", our album opener is one I've always been thrilled to listen to. Fantastic, super feeling Fusion number. Sort of reminiscent to me of Brand X or Colosseum II, perhaps? The title track, "The Dancer" , is another highly memorable number. Bright and upbeat, it is a happy cacophony of percussion and our various melodic instrumentation. This one is also (somewhat therefore) dynamically and texturally interesting. The composition breathes, so to speak. In the groove and the funk, it is an awesome solo showcase for Gary and others (including a wondrous bass solo). I certainly wish I knew who was who (and didn't just assume Argent was the guy here, despite all appearances). So much soloing, though... Sheesh.

Softness ensues on the quick, bass-led "Now That We're Alone". The bassist here is a Doni Harvey. A welcomed reprieve, for sure, and in it, performed in the most delightful and beautiful way. Bass melody continues over the groovy, blaxploitation-esque "Lullaby for a Sleepy Dormhouse". A lot of lovely key-trills are featured here, as well as some tasteful acoustic/classical moments from Gary. Next is the funky, yet spacy, "Almond Burfi" (a Burfi is a sweetened milk-based dessert from India). It's pretty consistently just... statically the same(?) for over 3 minutes and then shifts into a nice bit of quirk in its end. Even so, not the strongest we've heard from it thus far. But again, its last minute or so makes it all worth it. Really, very cool.

Back in the low 'n' slow on "Pendle Mist". Cymbals are singularly hit over soft shimmers of guitar and gliding keys. It's a slow build. And really, it does crescendo pretty much the entire song. Interesting choice. Yet a very of-the-time sort of choice. We are finally back into some stellar groove and solo mastery on "Apple Crumble"! It is a keyboardist's dream. In the last half, Gary takes the helm with a quirky yet blazing solo himself. It does not let up. In the best way. Finally we have the soft and tasty "Maiden Voyage" (totally not me avoiding the word "sexy" on a ProgArchives review /s). Just a fantastic song to close out a very very good Fusion classic.

True Rate: 4.25/5.00

I do love that version! Recorded on cassette tape from a radio broadcast some decades ago, for quite a long time I thought, it was the one produced for Brian Auger's Trinity in 1970, when Gary still was a member. Eventually though, after researching a bit, I had to recognize, that this has been recorded later, in reminiscence, additionally equipped with the subtitle 'for Brian Auger'. That means, the author is not aboard here actually, the spirit is definitely alive though, yeah!

So besides Gary on acoustic and electric guitar - now it's vital to pay attention - such a masterpiece is featuring Doni Harvey (bass), Simon Phillips (drums), Zoe Kronenberger (electric piano), Robin Lumley (moog, synths) and Morris Pert (percussion) - wow, a wonderful implementation! This does not mean, that the rest of the songs is out of order, or something like that, not at all! Here we have a crystal clear production, partially reminding of Return To Forever. If you are keen on accessible fusion stuff, you'll be on the right trip here, definitely.

But I was expecting too much. The credits were under the obi (found a used Japanese import of this CD, released by Gull Records), so I didn't realize that it has Gary Moore, Simon Phillips, and bassists Phil Chen & John Giblin. Chen is Chinese-Jamaican and played with Rod Stewart for forever. John Giblin has played with Brand X among many others. Simon Phillips needs no introduction. So it's a supergroup kind of album, which I suppose might have given me pause.

The tracks with Phil Chen on bass ("Snap Crackle" and "Electric Glide" ) are straight-ahead jazz/rock fusion, bordering on easy listening - not bad, laid-back grooves, nice solos. They remind me of Japanese fusion bands like Prism and some of Kazumi Watanabe's work (especially To Chi Ka). Two more tracks ("Morning Father Joys" and "Brat No. 2") are exclusively acoustic guitar, calling to mind perhaps the acoustic sections found in Isotope. The rest of the album features Simon Phillips on drums and John Giblin on bass. These are the most prog-like on the album, as well as the most interesting. Gary Moore is on two of the Phillips/Giblin tracks - some of the playing is pretty over the top, in a good way. The ones without Moore are a bit more cerebral but still enjoyable.

Overall, a decent album, though the three different sessions being mixed up mess with the cohesion. On the jacket they are actually listed in a different order, with the Phil Chen tracks first, the Gary Moore tracks and one without next, the two purely acoustic tracks, and then one of the Phillips/Giblin tracks with acoustic guitar last - I suspect that might be the "proper" running order. If you like instrumental guitar-based prog and especially fusion, then this album may do it for you - although I can't give it 4 or 5 stars, I still think it is a worthwhile album in my collection - but then again, I like both prog and fusion!

Only this morning I realized that this artist is finally featured here in this wonderful progressive music site on planet earth ever - the ProgArchives. I am so happy knowing this artist is featured here as his music is really progressive with some sort of jazz-rock fusion style. I am so impressed with the title track "The Dancer" where the stunning guitar playing by Gary Boyle is combined beautifully with tight basslines of Steve Shone. His music is actually not quite unique as compared with other jazz-rock style prog music. However, his guitar playing can be considered as unique. He also plays great acoustic guitar work like in "Lullaby for a Sleepy Dormouse ". The music is nicely composed and what makes it excellent is his unique acoustic guitar work that in some segments remind me to the work of Al Di Meola. The only difference is that Al usually use the low notes strings while here Boyle use that high register notes. It's a nice track. "Pendle Mist" is another track where he uses great acoustic guitar work. The opening track "Cowshed Shuffle" is also an excellent track demonstrating great guitar work and tight basslines by Doni Harvey. I also love very much the jazz-rock fusion style in relatively uptempo music "Apple Crumble". I think this composition is truly a masterpiece as all instruments demonstrate their contribution in a balance way: the drums, the bass as well as keyboard are all great!!! This is my all-time favorite track.

Overall, this is a gem that this site should have included it since the beginning. Well, I know that this is a rare collection as the CD is not available easily and I only got the cassette version. Keep on proggin' ...!!!

Peace on earth and mercy mild - GW

"Cowshed Shuffle" is maybe my favourite, it just sounds so good and I think that's clavinet playing over the bass and drums although Argent is all over this with his mini-moog as well. Gary then takes the lead after 3 minutes and proceeds to rip it up. I like the electric piano on this one too. Before I go any further I think Simon Phillips is the one who impressed me the most on this album as he is just amazing on the drum kit. "The Dancer" is uptempo with so much going on as we get lots of intricate sounds including mini-moog, percussion, drums, clavinet and more. Guitar to the fore-front before 2 minutes and he's lighting it up. A bass solo before 3 minutes as drums pound. More aggressive guitar late. Maggia Pert added some vocal melodies on this one too. She's Morris' sister. "Now That We're Alone" is a short piano and bass piece. "Lullaby For A Sleepy Dormouse" is mid-paced with bass and drums as electric piano and guitar play over top in a relaxed manner.

"Almond Burfi" is uptempo with bass and drums out front. Guitar and synths arrive a minute in. Boyle is on fire after 2 minutes. A change 4 minutes in as the clavinet leads. "Pendle Mist" has sparse cymbals, bass, electric piano and guitar in this atmospheric intro. It's building until it sounds pretty amazing late. "Apple Crumble" is uptempo with bass, drums and electric piano as the guitar solos over top. "Maiden Voyage (For Brian Auger) is a Herbie Hancock cover and the fact it's dedicated to Brian Auger shouldn't be too surprising since it was Auger who Boyle recorded and played with a lot in the sixties. Auger introduced him to this style of music. They would listen to Miles Davis and would see Tony Williams live on more than one occassion all of which had a profound influence on the direction Boyle would go musically. This song has a nice solid sound as acoustic guitar joins in. Boyle turns to his electric though and becomes quite prominant.

This is a great album but I do prefer ISOTOPE especially their "Illusion" album.

Back in the early 70s there was something extremely attractive when Brits attempted jazz with such luminary giants as the Soft Machine, Caravan, Ian Carr's Nucleus, Brian Auger, Brand X, Colosseum II, National Health, Hatfield and the North etc?. Something about their quirky sound, the mischievous lyrics and of course, that delightful tongue slammed in cheek sense of humor. Toss in some scintillating technical prowess and voila! Hooked for life!

Keyboard whiz Rod Argent, the amazing drummeister Simon Phillips, the fluid Steve Shone on bass , Automatic Man's Doni Harvey , Caravan's Dave McCrae as well as some Brand X members (Lumley, Pert) provide the support crew for Boyle, whose style is in the profound Mahavishnu crenel and unabashedly so. The deluge of notes is enough to send most Malmsteen fans to the showers, a sonic blitzkrieg that is spell-binding. On "Cowshed Shuffle" , little time is wasted to blow your speakers sideways , providing some meteoric performances from Simon (darn is he good!) , with Doni's funky-jazz bass yo-yoing in and out while Rod Argent's bubbly Mini-Moog duels with Boyle's ardent guitar (playing with my words again!) . Thrill seekers will love the shining Steve Shone bass and Jeff Seopardie drum interplay on the title track, another torrid sonic troika between Macrae's stupendous clavinet, Zoe Kronberger's various keys and Boyle's fulminating guitar. "Lullaby For a Sleepy Doormouse" is pure aural velvet, with more sultry fretless bass from Shone and some sparkling acoustic guitar fingering from the mad Irishman while "Almond Burfi" provides the more raucous, electric guitar-led continuation. If you have any doubts that this man can play, well check out his technique, my goodness! "Pendle Mist" has the Harvey/Phillips duo leading the misty charge, Boyle's towering acoustic guitar crisply raffling among the sinuous e-piano musings (Lumley), gradually spiraling into a hypnotic jewel that stands the test of time. "Apple Crumble" is raunch revisted , this time featuring a Dave Macrae performance on e- piano and an ARP synthesizer solo for the ages, while Harvey tortures his four string stick , leering at the mach II drumming of Phillips . What does Gary do? Well, he lays down a perverted axe solo, all speed and seduction. The set ends on my favorite track, "Maiden Voyage ?For Brian Auger", a piece written by no other than Herbie Hancock and has that laid-back confident shimmer that makes this such an audio delight. Playful, intelligent, technically supreme but highly charged in emotional content. When jazz-rock is performed so eloquently, how can one not be inspired?

This was a masterpiece in 1978 and it remains one today, a simply superlative performance that all jazz-prog fusion fans need to hear and witness to believe.

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5 buried treasures

Indeed, while there are still traces of funk, this album is definitely not as 'sheik-yer-bouty' as its predecessor and much more serious, almost flirting with the 'standard' jazz. Sooo, don't go expecting something close to Isotope material, despite Moore's presence on three tracks. Actually, the album seems divided in three sessions, one having Boyle & Shaw on acoustic guitars (looking at Paco's or Django's directions) for two tracks, the second featuring the all- star Moore, Phillips & Gibblin line-up for 3.5 tracks and the third session varying from a trio to a sextet, for the rest of the album. We're dealing with a guitar-dominated fusion as the only keyboards (courtesy of Jacobson) are only present in two tracks.

Just like Isotope's short career was not really essential or indispensable to the JR/F foundations, neither Dancer, nor Glide are essential fusion albums, but nice consolidating blocks, but let's just say that it's absolutely nothing groundbreaking or even adventurous. But in its own way, this kind of album is likely to please progheads more than Abercrombie or Scofield.