Rhythm team
David Paull
and
Jim Payne
left
Jonesy
after the release of the band's debut
No Alternative
. In their stead came
Gypsy Jones
Plug Thomas
, along with trumpeter/woodwind player
Alan Bown
and string arranger
Ray Russell
upending their previous sound.
"Masquerade,"
which opened their sophomore
Keeping Up
set, immediately introduced the new crew across a dizzying array of genres. Shades of
new romantics
to come haunt the early passages, but then the song rounds on
funk
, delves deep into moody waters, pooling around woodwind and trumpet solos whipped to a froth by the lush strings while
operatic
vocals soar overhead. The new players weren't the only changes to be heard within; guitarist
John Evan Jones
had recently discovered the delight of the wah-wah pedal, and showcases it across many of the tracks. It predominates on sections of
"Questions and Answers,"
a number encompassing
jazz
,
, and
Beatles
flavored
psychedelia
along the way, as well as a military tattoo and a rollicking
R&B
piano. But these kinds of crossovers were second nature to
, with the epic
"Children"
even throwing
Baroque
organ and
Stax
-styled horns into the mix. Not all the numbers were adventures in genre busting: introspective pieces like the short
"Duet,"
the lavish
"Preview,"
and the unimaginatively titled but rich and emotive
"Song"
all picked a style and stuck with it. While
's previous album was adventurous,
was even more so, for what the band lost in jazzy overtones they here gained in new instrumentation and effects. With hard hitting lyrics and themes,
"Critique (With Exceptions),"
although a bit overblown, is still amusing;
's celebration of peace, while noting the inevitably of more war to come, will certainly resonate today. The fast maturing
were here reaching their
peak. ~ Jo-Ann Greene