NO ALTERNATIVE

One of British progressive rock's best kept secrets, Jonesy issued three excellent albums during the mid- seventies all in the space of two years. Sadly, however, success would elude Jonesy as the same way it did for many of their peers and they would be terminally overshadowed by he big boys of the era such as Pink Floyd, ELP and Yes. However, despite a relatively small profile, Jonesy managed to build up a small-but-loyal following attracted to the group's eclectic style with the album's 'No Alternative', 'Growing' and 'Keeping Up' each displaying a broad range of sounds and textures indicative of seriously adept musicians. Released in 1972 on the Dawn imprint(also home to the likes of Gravy Train) 'No Alternative' featured a genuine mixed bag of musical tracks, with sombre ballads ('Every Days The Same'), technically tricky rockers ('1958'), maudlin mid-tempo epics ('Pollution') and even jazz-tinged heavy-prog fusion ('Mind Of The Century') peppering an extraordinarily complex selection of tunes. Jonesy's music also featured a series of trademark affectations that would carry on into both of their following releases, with rip-roaringly stretched guitar solo's, soothing mellotron washes and incisive lyrical observations(the environement, politics etc) showcasing a highly-talented outfit who really did deserve better from both the record-buying public and the musical critcs of the day. That said, Jonesy are one of a number of relatively-unknown mid-seventies prog outfits to reform in the 21st century thanks to the rising interest in all things progressive, and as a result the group's trio of fine albums are now being discovered and re-discovered by fans old and new. Of the three, 'No Alternative' features possibly the broadest stylistic range, with the beautifully-executed 'Pollution' , the anthemic title-track and the funky mellotron-soaked corker 'Ricochet'(a track sliced down to size for single release) proving the stand-outs selections. An excellent debut that demands multiple listens, 'No Alternative' is a fine slice of strangely- undervalued prog from a finely-tuned British outfit. In a word: Groovy! STEFAN TURNER, STOKE NEWINGTON, 2012