IN SPITE OF HARRY'S TOENAIL

In Spite Of Harry's Toenail is the debut album from progressive rock band Gnidrolog. Gnidrolog was a very short lived band who only managed to release two studio albums in 1972. The band reunited in 2000 after 28 years and released Gnosis. Their two studio albums from the seventies are both widely considered prog rock classics. Gnidrolog is a pretty original band and they have a very distinct sound. One of the special things about them is the fact that they very rarely used keyboards or piano in their music which was of course a rarety in those days. It gives their music a very original touch.

The music is dominated by Colin Goldring distinct vocal style. The vocals remind me of Peter Hammil from Van der Graaf Generator even though Colin Goldring seems a bit less controlled. He doesn´t always hit the right notes but it ends up sounding convincing anyway. The music on the longer songs like Long Live Man Dead ( Great title that one by the way), Snails and Time And Space are a bit strangely constructed which is a plus in my book. Heavy guitar riffs and snarling vocals mixed with more soft parts with quit vocals and flute would not be a wrong description. Songs like Peter, Who Spoke and the first part of In Spite Of Harry's Toenail have a more folky touch that I don´t particularly enjoy. The bluesy jamming ending of In Spite Of Harry's Toenail is a great ending to the album though.

The musicianship seems a bit sloppy at times but on the other hand it sounds like it´s on purpose and it gives the album a lose and jamming feel even though the songs are tightly structured for the most part.

The production is below standard and I think it´s a problem with the raw and unpolished sound. Some people like their music this way as they feel this kind of sound has an authentic feel to it but I generally prefer a more polished sound on studio albums.

The cover art is not very impressive. Especially not if you compare it with the cover of Gnidrolog´s second album Lady Lake which might be one of the most beautiful covers made in the seventies.

I can see from many of the former reviews that people are generally very impressed with In Spite Of Harry's Toenail and I also think it´s a good album. It´s just not much better than average IMO and I´ll rate it 3 stars.