Prior to this solo debut, had been on the British - and scene for about half a dozen years, playing in early bands with , as well as (briefly) in with . was his chance to step out of the shadows, and while his skills as a keyboardist were formidable, his songwriting just wasn't up to carrying an interesting album of his own. Devoted to a half-dozen lengthy tracks varying in duration from five to 13 minutes, offered a -progressive stew that, despite some flashy licks, lacked focus. It's a shame there wasn't better material to work with, for some quite talented musicians were among the supporting cast, including singer , session vocalist , (later to back in ), and most of all his old friend . In fact, offers some of his best playing as a sideman on this record, which both makes it better than it could have been, and makes it worth checking out for serious fans of the guitarist. In common with some of 's own solo work, however, it's a meandering record, bits of promising ideas swirling around before they've been honed into something cogent. Against the odds, however, the 13-minute is the highlight, its mesh of -esque rhythms, burning organ, and bluesy guitar recalling some of early 's more jammy grooves. ~ Richie Unterberger