2006年 Mar 5日 Sunday, 4:56

This Life was a British quartet, who released their one album (great cover art!) back in 1974. Though often described as a “prog” album, the fact that this was released on “vanilla” Polydor, rather than Vertigo, should start warning bells ringing.

Actually, it’s not so bad, but I was quite disappointed by it at first, after having heard so much about it for so many years. There’s definitely a prog influence there as an undercurrent in many of the tunes on this album, but it tends toward mainstream 70’s rock. It starts off underwhelmingly with “Riding Around”, very mainstream to start off with, but quickly gets more interesting. It’s part of a song cycle with “Opus” and “I don’t want to”, taking the music to unexpected places. Still, too many moments like the never-ending and pointless bar-band song “Highway” (which features a flute solo!) for comfort. Occasional bursts of dual keyboard work (as on “The Plank”) are rather enticing from a prog standpoint, though.

Future Kinks keyboardist Ian Gibbons’ playing spices this album up a good deal. In particular the Hammond organ work is to die for. The slight prog touches, keyboard-heaviness and rather dated 70’s rock feel make me think primarily of Argent. Even the vocals remind me quite a bit of Russ Ballard. Actually, the resemblance may not be an accident, the album was produced by Rod Argent’s ex-Zombies mate Chris White. Possibly comparable to other similarly intentioned bands of the time (e.g.: Wishbone Ash).

Rather ironically, two of Gibbons’ bandmates in the Kinks in the lineup in which he played, Jim Rodford and Bob Henrit, hailed from Argent.