Bernie Marsden
was well into a recording career when he struck out on his own for 1979's
And About Time Too
, which may explain the album's joking title. At the time,
Marsden
was playing guitar in
Whitesnake
, following years with
UFO
,
Wild Turkey
Cozy Powell's Hammer
, and
Babe Ruth
, among others, so he had a significant resume, all suggesting that he was ready for a spot of heavy rocking, but
is much softer than his past or present, a slick and phased collection of '70s album pop and rock featuring such impressive players as
Powell
Jack Bruce
Ian Paice
Jon Lord
. Again, all this suggests a harder record than what
actually is. Certainly, much of its appeal is down to its period stylings, particularly when he indulges himself on a piece of sprightly pop like "Love Made a Fool of Me" or "Sad Clown" -- songs that could've crossed over from album rock to adult contemporary -- and these tunes are strong enough that they make such heavy blues workouts as the grinding "Brief Encounter" and the woozy, solo-laden closer "Head the Ball" feel like detours even when they're much closer to
's main line of work. Other remnants of the time, such as the heavy layers of analog synths from
Don Airey
and the long stretches of instrumental pyrotechnics, keep this somewhat at a remove from modern listeners, but it is those aforementioned poppier numbers that do make this worth a spin; they may not capture
at his most representative but they may capture him at his best. [
Cherry Red
's 2013 reissue contains the single B-side "You & Me," a pretty good arena rocker.] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine