NOW AND THEN

Now here is an American band that actually sounds British for the most part, but unfortunately more like a parody of all their idols, especially Yes, Genesis, and ELP with a bit of KC thrown in. The band knows how to play riffs and little keyboard runs borrowed liberally from the above, but hasn't much skill in songwriting, composing or arranging. It's not clear when they actually prepared the material for this album, and by 1979 it would have been a non starter even if the band had more prowess in all these departments, but this is no long lost classic.

Nonetheless, Now and Then does contain some worthwhile moments, especially in the opener Wanderer's Lament, containing ethereal mellotron flutes (since regular flutes are not named in the credits),. By far the highlight is the "Telesterion" part of the "Alchemist's Suite", dominated by Park Crain's hypnotic synthesizer pedals and percussion. "The Life Celebration" and "Solar Sailor" contain some of the better Yes-like vocals as well as a cool dose of mellotron and moogs. But beyond that, Now and Then doesn't and didn't contain enough to sustain us now or then. 2.5 stars rounded down.