I didn't want to rush into this review, knowing what it took out of the band to get this written, recorded and released. I know Nick Barrett had to sell his house, and some of his specialist magazines, whilst Clive Nolan didn't wear underpants or eat for 3 months to get the money together. Having been on the periphery whilst this album was being written, hearing tales of tracks and such like, I was aware that this wasn't going to be "just another Pendragon album"

So, it all starts off with the Clannadish Believe, setting the tone nicely and letting you know that this isn't The World part V. Nick gets out his Herbie Hancock / Richie Sambora vocoder and goes mee-ow into it, before exclaiming "And now, everybody to the dance floor" in a sardonically silly voice, which is the start of No Place for the Innocent, in which Nick and the boys list questions on life, the universe and everything. This song is probably the most recognisable as a "Pendragon song" on the CD.

Wisdom Of Solomon starts off quietly before the Birdman introduces some Spanish guitar into the sound, which makes a refreshing change. Also to be noted is the sparsity of keyboards on the whole album, something that Dick Shilton didn't quite notice in his Classic Cock review last month!

Then comes the albums four-part epic, The Wishing Well. Part 1, For Your Journey, is a gentle, pleasing, almost hymn-like reverie. This melds seamlessly into Sou' By Sou'west, which picks it up slightly, and introduces some more familier elements of the Pendragon sound. I'm ready to be shot down for this, but I reckon Nick sings better on this album than he has in the past. Much more restrained, which suits him. There's definately no "woo woos" going on here. Some reviews have slagged of the spoken parts of this album, but it's all light and shade. Part 3, We Talked reminds me of Roger Walters Home, from Radio Kaos, and includes the classic line "We talked girls, we talked muffin'" - is that Speaking in Tongues?. Is that Ricky Gervais? The final part, Two Roads, is the antidote to The Worlds Queen Of Hearts, where Nick lamented "And will I search forever for my kindred spirit, Two dancing ghosts that never can die, To search in my dreams by oceans and by rivers, Like two flowing streams that never can touch". Nowadays, it's all "Two roads entwined and never ending, two souls upon each other are depending". All in all, a worthy and epic track.

Learning Curve has the difficult job of following it, and would always struggle, as would any song. Maybe it's that fact that makes me think it is the weakest track on the album. Maybe it is the weakest track on the album. Something has to be. It starts off promisingly, with some cool Gabrielesque sounds and a wickedly funky bassline from Pete Gee, before drifting into a Jadis-like CoastProg middle section, but at least it tries to make up for it by having a fairly good end section. Lyrically, it is outstanding as well.

The Edge Of The World closes the album in style, and starts with more spoken lines, and acoustic guitar. Classy way to end.

As for the cover artwork and booklet, it is obvious to even the casual observer that as much, if not more care and attention has been put into them. Simon Wilkinson has done a wonderful job on the central character, and the attention to detail can be seen throughout the well laid-out booklet. The well-spell-checked booklet, I might add. By me. There is one mistake in there, see if you can spot it - first correct answer gets a copy of Believe signed by Nick.

So, I reckon it's an album that will divide its listeners into two camps. Those that want Pendragon to be Pendragon (whether THEY want to be or not), and those that want them to Progress. The boys have taken a big risk in this album, I hope it pays off for them.