THE STORY OF I

Moraz first solo album was released subsequent to his departure from Yes. He had gained considerable credibility through his stepping into Rick Wakeman's shoes, and his contribution to the excellent "Relayer" album. Prior to joining Yes, Moraz had effectively replaced Keith Emerson in the Nice, although they chose to use the Refugee name for the band during his all too brief stay. Whether the fact that he only recorded one album with Refugee and one with Yes tells us anything is a matter for conjecture, but he has since offered a steady flow of solo albums, and also recorded and toured with the Moody Blues.

"The story of !" is a concept album consisting of 14 tracks which link together to form a continuous piece. That said, each track is quite distinct and self contained. The detailed notes on the inner sleeve (of the LP) are hand written and illustrated by Moraz himself. They help the listener to understand how each piece was constructed. The "!" (it is not a letter I, this is not the story of Patrick Moraz) is an exclamation mark like symbol along the lines of Prince's more recent squiggle; Moraz give no hints on the correct pronunciation but all the words it represents start with the letter "i" (initiation, identity etc.). It actually looks more like a golf ball sitting on a tee. "!" is a "hotel offering people of all creeds colours and sexes the realisation of their impossible dreams". The ensuing tale is a work of science fiction which might well have been developed into a short story or novel.

Moraz is entirely responsible for the compositions, but calls on lead vocalist John McBurnie to provide the English language lyrics.

The music flows delightfully though the various sections, ranging from a Brazilian Baiao to a "neo-baroque" intermezzo featuring two female voices singing simultaneously in French and English. The jazz influences Moraz displays so clearly in his style of keyboard playing are of course present but kept largely in check, the album being more rock based. "Indoors" has distinct echoes of the battle section of "Gates of Delirium", Moraz using two different synthesiser, one in each channel, as the adversaries.

Always a sucker for a good ballad, "The best years of our lives" closes the first side of the album delightfully with a delicate vocal delivering emotive lyrics. After brief flourish, the second side opens with a jungle funeral, where tribal and ethnic influences are brought to the fore.

Things pick up again for "Dancing now", which includes a rather irritating chant of "There's nothing new except what's been forgotten". As we approach the conclusion, the themes become even more dynamic until we soar effortlessly on the "Symphony in space", a melancholy recapturing of some of the earlier themes.

This is undoubtedly Moraz's best and most progressive solo album. His later work would see him moving into much more pop related territories, but here he weaves a hundred and one themes into a wonderful whole. His sleeve notes insist that the piece be heard from beginning to end, and indeed that is the best way to listen to it. Individual tracks or sections are easily distinguishable, with some standing well in their own right, but this is a well constructed work, and should be heard as such.

Recommended.

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