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It Is and It Isn't
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It Is and It Isn't
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It Is and It Isn't
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Gordon Haskell
issued this solo album to absolutely no critical notice or public response of any kind in 1971, which is sort of a shame -- not that it's exactly an earth-shattering record, but it does represent a relatively light, lyric-oriented brand of progressive rock (almost resembling
the Moody Blues
more than it does
Haskell
's former group,
King Crimson
), and a good entry in the field. Latter-day
Crimson
member
John Wetton
is present here, playing bass and organ and providing backing vocals on this rather sweet-textured, languid, and highly melodic assembly of songs, which mostly show off
's unusual vocal range but leave ample room for classical stylings on the electric and acoustic guitars and jazz-inspired fills on the drums. When
does rock out, as on "Sitting by the Fire," the effect is startling, the crunchy electric rhythm guitar (courtesy of
Dave Spinoza
) and bold lead parts (by
Alan Barry
) wrapping around decent, memorable hooks and choruses -- "No Need" is a similarly accessible piece of romantic balladry that might have passed for an
England Dan/John Ford Coley
demo. And then there's "Worm," a pounding, too-serious-for-words meditation on (apparently) life, death, and being devoured, which repeats a cool opening electric guitar flourish in various guises and allows
Barry
the chance to stretch out on a related series of riffs. "Spider" is some kind of personal commentary on the music business, possibly referring to managers and their potentially devouring ways --
would know that best -- but it is funny and cheerfully upbeat in mood, with some pleasing choruses. "Benny the Beaver," with its fascinating but confusing references to various elements of the music business, also seems to be about a subject that mattered to
. It's a pity he couldn't have shared it more clearly, but the principal acoustic guitar riff is pretty, and some of the transitions recall
's "Cadence and Cascade" (which
sang). The final section, in which an old-style music hall showband picks up the riff, demonstrates more humor than most entire art-rock albums of this period ever dared reveal. From a broader perspective, perhaps the most interesting aspect of the recording is that it was produced by
Arif Mardin
, who, at the time, was moving into some much more profitable and visible projects with
the Bee Gees
that went in a completely different direction. On this album,
Mardin
's evident goal was to meld
's pop-progressive sound with the clean, sharp mixes that
of that era were using on their albums, with the results that the drumming (courtesy of
Bill Atkinson
) and
Wetton
's bass, as well as
's acoustic guitar, sound like they were recorded during leftover time from a
session. All in all, this is a fun piece of
ephemera, and pretty pleasant on its own terms. The 1998
Blueprint
CD reissue is a real treat, with a cleaner sound than could be found on the generally lousy
Atlantic
vinyl pressings (most of which were promo copies), and all of the lyrics are reprinted. ~ Bruce Eder
issued this solo album to absolutely no critical notice or public response of any kind in 1971, which is sort of a shame -- not that it's exactly an earth-shattering record, but it does represent a relatively light, lyric-oriented brand of progressive rock (almost resembling
the Moody Blues
more than it does
Haskell
's former group,
King Crimson
), and a good entry in the field. Latter-day
Crimson
member
John Wetton
is present here, playing bass and organ and providing backing vocals on this rather sweet-textured, languid, and highly melodic assembly of songs, which mostly show off
's unusual vocal range but leave ample room for classical stylings on the electric and acoustic guitars and jazz-inspired fills on the drums. When
does rock out, as on "Sitting by the Fire," the effect is startling, the crunchy electric rhythm guitar (courtesy of
Dave Spinoza
) and bold lead parts (by
Alan Barry
) wrapping around decent, memorable hooks and choruses -- "No Need" is a similarly accessible piece of romantic balladry that might have passed for an
England Dan/John Ford Coley
demo. And then there's "Worm," a pounding, too-serious-for-words meditation on (apparently) life, death, and being devoured, which repeats a cool opening electric guitar flourish in various guises and allows
Barry
the chance to stretch out on a related series of riffs. "Spider" is some kind of personal commentary on the music business, possibly referring to managers and their potentially devouring ways --
would know that best -- but it is funny and cheerfully upbeat in mood, with some pleasing choruses. "Benny the Beaver," with its fascinating but confusing references to various elements of the music business, also seems to be about a subject that mattered to
. It's a pity he couldn't have shared it more clearly, but the principal acoustic guitar riff is pretty, and some of the transitions recall
's "Cadence and Cascade" (which
sang). The final section, in which an old-style music hall showband picks up the riff, demonstrates more humor than most entire art-rock albums of this period ever dared reveal. From a broader perspective, perhaps the most interesting aspect of the recording is that it was produced by
Arif Mardin
, who, at the time, was moving into some much more profitable and visible projects with
the Bee Gees
that went in a completely different direction. On this album,
Mardin
's evident goal was to meld
's pop-progressive sound with the clean, sharp mixes that
of that era were using on their albums, with the results that the drumming (courtesy of
Bill Atkinson
) and
Wetton
's bass, as well as
's acoustic guitar, sound like they were recorded during leftover time from a
session. All in all, this is a fun piece of
ephemera, and pretty pleasant on its own terms. The 1998
Blueprint
CD reissue is a real treat, with a cleaner sound than could be found on the generally lousy
Atlantic
vinyl pressings (most of which were promo copies), and all of the lyrics are reprinted. ~ Bruce Eder
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