DANGER MONEY

A lot of people would say UK's second album is nowhere near the quality of the first, for any number of reasons including the lineup change, a couple of digestible singles and a lack of any guitar player whatsoever. I happen to think the idea to replace Allan Holdsworth with "nobody at all" is pretty much the correct choice, as perhaps until Guthrie Govan and Alex Machacek appear there isn't anybody quite like him. This album therefore becomes the Eddie Jobson show and I suggest you sit down before listening if you've never heard the second UK album, Danger Money. This is simply a different flavour from the first album, there is a lot to love here especially if you are a fan of prog keyboard players. This is not proto-Asia as some would have you believe... okay Nothing to Lose is proto-Asia but the other six tracks are not, I assure. Jobson is an absolute master, usually playing multiple parts on multiple instruments at any given time during the album. Not that John Wetton and Terry Bozzio are taking it easy, but holy cow Eddie. If you skipped on this because somebody told you it isn't worth it, give this a shot! 5 stars easy, for fans of John Wetton or any 80s prog

Danger Money starts off with a horrifying set of chords, it kind of reminds me of Heir Apparent from Opeth just giving you a feeling of dread. The production screams at you straight away as well, it's so clear and it lets the keyboards come through in such a way that you feel everything you are meant to. The lyrics here are cheesy and not perfect (I have a luger strapped to my thigh/I have a magnum as well) but the riff and melody are awesome, I often find Danger Money stuck in my head. The middle section gives way to Wetton's huge bass, this is one of his best albums instrumentally, Rendezvous 6:02 is a favourite of mine, introduced in concert by John as a "ghost story", this is a really atmospheric song. Go figure there is a beautiful middle section from Jobson before a final verse. The Only Thing She Needs just keeps going and going in the best way possible. After a great intro and another piano number, Wetton absolutely attacks you with a crazy bass lead before settling into a groove and letting Jobson guide us for the remainder. No review can do this song justice, but Caesar's Palace Blues is easy to talk about, being a fantastic straight rock song with a lot of prog style touches and some absolutely wild violin playing from Jobson that needs to be seen to be appreciated. Nothing to Lose is good but certainly a single, definitely the weakest UK track but it's okay! It is short and is a bit of a headspace cleanser before Jobson opens yet another clinic, this time in track six. This is just 12 minutes of ELP style craziness, a fantastic ending to an underrated album. If you haven't heard this before, you must!