The funky
pop
"Ricochet,"
backed by the (non-album track) pretty, emotive show-stopper
"Every Day's the Same"
could barely prepare listeners for the arrival of
Jonesy
, the British group that tore across the
prog rock
scene in the early '70s. The band released three albums on the legendary
Dawn
label, and now
Esoteric
has compiled them all in their entirety, along with their sole single, for the two-CD
Masquerade: Dawn Years Anthology
.
"Ricochet"
was an edited track from
's debut album,
No Alternative
, a superb set that fused
improvisational jazz
to
, but also encompassed
R&B
,
funk
, and in the case of
"Mind of the Century,"
the exotic Far East. Unusually,
jazz
bassist
David Paull
oftentimes carried the song's melody, and even took a number of solo spins across the set. The lineup shifted dramatically soon after, with the addition of brass, woodwinds, and a new rhythm section, as well as a heavy reliance on
orchestral
strings. Thus it was a very different sounding
that released
Keeping Up
, a set even more adventurous than their debut, breaching even more genres, with guitarist
John Evan Jones
' new wah-wah pedal used to maximum advantage. There were a few introspective numbers within, but the bulk were extravagant journeys across myriad genres, filled with shifting moods and tempos, most spectacularly across
"Masquerade"
and the epic
"Children."
1973's
Growing
, produced by
Rupert Hine
sounded phenomenal, but was a flawed set, with the epic
"Jonesy"
showcasing the band's disintegration from
improvisation
into unfocused overindulgence. There were still grand moments to be found, however, with the powerful
"Can You Get That Together"
and coursing
"Know Who Your Friends Are"
the obvious highlights, and the solo-packed title track also of interest. Too often, though, the pieces don't quite jell, with the musicians refusing to connect with each other, except to do battle. The set features some exhilarating musical duels, surely a sign of tensions within. Regardless, all three sets have been long sought after by
fans, and their reissue in one package will invariably thrill fans. ~ Jo-Ann Greene