CD Review

Rating 70%

reviewed by Charlie O'

I was sent this sampler disc a while back now, and it's just come to surface again in my collection, so I thought I'd bang a few words off about it. The label F2 is run by David Robinson, the geezer who used to run "The Progressive Rock Directory" and promotes, strangely enough, prog bands.

Magenta - The White Witch
The first 5 tracks are taken from Magenta's recent double CD "Revolutions". And it's an absolutely wonderful, 20 minutes of bliss, a masterpiece of mellow progressiveness, lovely vocals, surprises like this make reviewing a pleasure.
Rating 27/30

The Fyreworks - Master Humphries Clock
From their 1997 CD "The Fyreworks". It all starts off with a nice flute intro, and a typical folky prog beat, but ends up with disappointing weak vocals, over an interesting track. There is a cool piano break, reminiscent of Widge in there somewhere. 
Rating 6/10

Cyan - Guardians
Taken from their 197 "Remastered" album. This is an interesting track. Constantly varying, occasional Pallasy bombasticism. Glorious solo's. It's even got one of those "that bit at the end that I recognise but can't quite place" bits!
Rating 8/10

The Othello Syndrome - Father Of Leeches
From "Shadow of Dreams" (1999). Hmmm.. starts of interesting, though with more "acquired taste" vocals. They've captured that early Genesis "cheaply produced" sound well though.
Rating 6/10

Cyan - The River
Cool track, worrying lyrics. From "The Creeping Vine". I must investigate this more!!!
Rating 8/10

Able Ganz - Little by Little
Apparently taken from their recent "Drawing The Line" CD. Light and fluffy like a cloud, Menel period IQ. Doesn't interest me much I'm afraid. Gets better and then ends.
Rating 5/10

Lee Saunders - The World Prepares
This track is taken from his 1995 CD "A Promise Of Peace". Sampled intro to a slow, AOR track, that tends to get a bit Pink Floydy after a minute or so. No, make that very Floydy! Must be a piss-take or something. Ok, you got me, hands up? Lee Saunders? Is that an anagram of Roger Waters??
Rating 6/10

Swing Gang - Guess You Had To Be There
Bluesy bar room rocker of a track that you could imagine on the soundtrack of one of those cheap Yankee movies, this is the bit where the hero's driving his beat up Chevy across some indistinct state, for some reason.
Rating 4/10

So overall, a good and interesting mixture of sounds both good and not so good. From this selection, I'd definately recommend Magenta "Revolution", and the Cyan CD's "Remastered" and "The Creeping Vine".