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Greenslade - Greenslade CD (album) cover

GREENSLADE

Greenslade

 

Symphonic Prog

3.70 | 268 ratings

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Eetu Pellonpaa
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
4 stars This is my personal favorite recording from Dave Greenslade. The mellotrons, electric piano, soft singing voice and well working rhythm section form a sound being similarly pleasant and unique. When compared to the other works of this artist, I'm also satisfied to the overall quality, which I think reduces quite dramatically after this record. The starter "Feathered Friends" is one of the most beautiful minor art rock songs I have yet heard. I have some personal strong associations, which focus directly to this song. I got to know this record in first place as a father of my friend spotted this album from a local second hand record store. He got to a bad argument with the shop owner after criticizing his high prices, but as this wise shopkeeper realized in early 90's that vinyl records are obsolete as merchandise, he sold everything out with 50% discount, and I fetched this one for him. When I delivered the record, a sad tale was told to me about the particular copy of the album. It was told being from an estate of a local guy, who had jumped out from the roof of block of flats. On the song "Feathered Friends", always as I listen to the lyrics "It's time to leave, if we can heave ourselves away from here, while the sun is still burning, even though we're just learning to fly, we can get by, by and by?", the mellotron solo enters? I can see the last flight of desperate man in my soul's eyes, making this a really deep and disturbing listening experience. From the western-interlude follows the tune "Drowning Man", this being some sort of sacral song along with the following "Temple Song", sticking to more orientalist motifs. Both associate with some sort of spiritual experiences, and I think especially the fine composition closing side A oscillates wonderfully from anticipating moments of sorrow to the hopeful glimpses of redemption, thus surviving the test of time on turntable selections. "Mélange" cruises more deeper to the pleasant symphonic prog depths than the other tracks, strengthening the group's sound from this aspect to the general prog scene style. However I liked here the vivid aspects of the group playing, which I fear later went to too confusing levels, making the albums quite messy, and losing similarly quality control or innovation from compositional qualities. "What are You Doing to Me" reminds slightly the tones of Badger, mello-illuminated riff-driven groovy track with bluesy edge in vein of softer 70's Deep Purple tracks. The album closes to grandiose epic of "Sundance", which finds it place from the end justified as "a final word", but sometimes I think putting the most essential songs to the end of an album require high quality from the whole record, and also listening patience from the record spinner. In addition of the musical content, the album covers by Roger Dean are also exceptionally marvelous, so if you can, I would recommend acquiring this one as vinyl.
Eetu Pellonpaa | 4/5 |

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