Review Greenslade - Greenslade (1973)

[joe]

Greenslade - Greenslade

1973 - Warner Bros.(Canada) LP

- David Greenslade / keyboards
- Dave Lawson / vocals, keyboards
- Tony Reeves / bass
- Andy McCulloch / drums

1. Feathered Friends
2. An English Western
3. Drowning Man
4. Temple Song
5. Melange
6. What Are You Doin' To Me
7. Sundance

After the demise of the influential progressive blues/jazz-rock band Colosseum in 1971, two members, keyboardist David Greenslade and bassist Tony Reeves along with vocalist/keyboardist Dave Lawson from the UK prog/jazz-fusion bands The Web and Samurai and drummer Andy McCulloch who played on King Crimson's 'Lizard' assembled this unconventional dual keyboard, guitar-less symphonic prog band. A minor league super group.

The music is firmly rooted in the tradition of the early '70's symphonic prog as the structures of the songs recall Yes and the occasional jazzy keyboard textures similar to that of some of the Canterbury bands and the proggy blues-rock base to David Greenslade's former band, Colosseum. The delivery of the keyboards, such as the Hammond and the Moog interplay are mostly chop heavy time sig shifts but fall flat on many occasions and the sweeping Mellotron simply adds the typical dark to light, melancholic bombastic soundscape. However, at times, Greenslade's keys are intricate and groove laden and flow with an etheral ambience. Fortunately half the album is instrumental as Lawson's vocals are dramatically annoying, strained and wrenching and off-key. The rhythm section is a fraud imitation of Squire and Bruford/White backbone of Yes. The song writing faint and feeble. Uninspired and unimaginative. Repetitive and boring. Subsequent albums follow the same formula.

There is much more better keyboard driven symph-prog with the likes of Finch, Trace, Triumvirat, just to mention a few and Rare Bird soars above with the deployment of the duplex keys and Lawson's former bands, The Web and Samurai are splendid, well-crafted works of prog/jazz-fusion that are melodic and harmonic as Greenslade isn't and is all but forgetful except for the Roger Dean cover art.

Rating: 2/5



Feathered Friends


Drowning Man

 

[Nololob]

Re: Greenslade - Greenslade

To be fair it's a good album to me. I have the LP and I enjoyed spinning it while doing my homework for music theory. However it was just a first listen, I'm not sure whether it will grow on me or not.

The artwork is one of my favourites, love it.

 

[LG]

Re: Greenslade - Greenslade

Sox likes this band, he got me interested so I do have this album...but it's been so long since I listened to it I've sort of forgotten what it sounded like.

I do love the cover art though.

 

[DaKillerWolf]

Re: Greenslade - Greenslade

My uncle had this Roger Dean poster hanging in his music room years ago ( along w/ Deans' Bedside Manners Are Extra poster and few others ). I still have the vinyl and a CDR of the album. I enjoy it but it won't be making any top 25 prog album lists I make in my life time , of that I'm sure ..

Good album but not a GREAT album ,IMO.

 

[Sox]

Re: Greenslade - Greenslade

I really like this one though as DK says it's not up in my top albums but I enjoy it and it get's a fair old amount of play. I agree with LG and Nolo as well, the cover is eyecatching, it could well be the reason I bought it in the first place.

 

[DaKillerWolf]

Re: Greenslade - Greenslade

Think I'll dig out my vinyl next to see how it's fared over the years.

 

[joe]

Re: Greenslade - Greenslade

To be fair it's a good album to me. I have the LP and I enjoyed spinning it while doing my homework for music theory. However it was just a first listen, I'm not sure whether it will grow on me or not.

The artwork is one of my favourites, love it.

After three listens over a two day period the album actually had the opposite effect on me. The upper registry of the keys on some of the tracks are just corny and squeamish, for lack of better words.

Sox likes this band, he got me interested so I do have this album...but it's been so long since I listened to it I've sort of forgotten what it sounded like.

I do love the cover art though.

Looks like we can all agree on the album cover. 5/5

My uncle had this Roger Dean poster hanging in his music room years ago ( along w/ Deans' Bedside Manners Are Extra poster and few others ). I still have the vinyl and a CDR of the album. I enjoy it but it won't be making any top 25 prog album lists I make in my life time , of that I'm sure ..

Good album but not a GREAT album ,IMO.

I really like this one though as DK says it's not up in my top albums but I enjoy it and it get's a fair old amount of play. I agree with LG and Nolo as well, the cover is eyecatching, it could well be the reason I bought it in the first place.

Hey guys. Some bands/albums age well and others don't. This one doesn't to my ears. I did listen to 'Bedside Manners are Extra' and it's little better but not by much. The Roger Dean art would be more well suited to Jade Warrior with their oriental theme/instrumentation.

 

[yaksongs]

Snap Sox - I bought this on the strength of the cover. I didn't much like it at first & can see where the -ive comments are coming from - but it did grow on me - possibly because it reminds me of my youth ! - but I do like the album overall and will have to now dig it out for tomorrows 'commute' playing. Cheers all

 

[Big Ears]

Greenslade were terrific live and the first progressive rock band I ever saw in concert. Martin Briley was an excellent guitarist/bass player and Andrew McCulloch was a great drummer, but Dave Lawson had a weak voice (although I know he has his fans). When I suggested this lineup reform, but with John Young, on another forum (PE), he said something like, "At last, someone here who thinks I should be in the band." He went on to say that his live album with Greenslade, 2001 Live The Full Edition, was better than the studio recording, Large Afternoon, because they had gelled as a band and were using live drums, not programmed percussion.

I always liked Dave Greenslade's solo album Pentateuch of the Cosmogony, which came with a book illustrated by Patrick Woodroffe. The more recent Routes/Roots is amazing, because Dave Greenslade sounds like a whole orchestra. I have never heard his Discworld album, but then I've never read anything by Terry Pratchett.

 

[Nai Noswad]

Major Bump!
Always had an affection for Greenslade, Dave and McCullough and Lawson etc...
Thursday nights in '75 was a must to see at 9.25pm on the tube... here's the TV show theme music.

Gangsters.