CD Review

Jadis
"Medium Rare"

Rating 93%

reviewed by Charlie O'

'Ello, 'ello 'ello, what have we got here then? Ah yes, another one of Jadises now legendary Rarities CD's. Always good entertainment, and good value for money too. This ain't not no exception. Coming home at a tenner for 74 minutes of prime pub-prog-rock, it's excellent vpl. And if you get yer orders in pronto, you can get a signed copy (but as this one is # 116 out of 150, I reckon you're outta luck).

So what's on the piggin' disc then, matey-boy? Well the first half of it is actually the old EP's Once Upon A Time and Once or Twice, which have now been deleted. These have just been remastered, so we can safely skip over them.... Hang about! I can't skip them, they're real history, man! Some of these songs take me back to those heady prog days of 1987, with it's Marquee and sunshine and cheap beer. And Jadis used to gig every week. Where would they be without Follow Me To Salzburg, All in One Day, The View From Above, This Changing Face, In The Dark, Taking Your Time and Hiding in the Corner. These songs, along with the incredible Too Big For Luck, Lost For Words, Don't Touch My Bread and Stonehenge (later covered by Spinal Tap) really cemented their position as England's hardest touring pub-prog band. Thousands would go along to their gigs and watch them strutting their funky, sweaty, hairy stuff. If you haven't got the original EP's then this is reason enough top buy this! 

But if you've already got them, and aren't a sad prog completist (?), what else do you get for yer hard won pennies?

Well, for starters, there's a radio-friendly version of Live This Lie - obviously not radio-friendly enough, cos it got fuck all airplay! It's alright, with a big chorus type thing. This is followed by the demo version of Giraffe Chariot and a live version of The World On Your Side, which is apparently really live, not just the drums. 

After that, comes this, Acoustic Medley, which is part of Gary & Martins special Martin & Gary's Acoustic Show show, that they perform whenever, wherever, to whoever. This part of the acoustic show features Falling Away and Sleepwalk, from an acoustic show in Tilburg, and features Martin and Gary only.

Bringing up the penultimate rear, as it were, is the acoustic version of that old and thrusty favourite This Changing Face that the boys recorded for the Classic Rock Societies "Un-Progged" charity CD a few years back.

Finally, there's Alive Inside, featuring Tony "Dirty" Diaz on keyboard, subbing for Mike Torr, who was stranded in Wales at the time. This track was knocked out for the Japaneses version of As Dayright Fades, which came out in Japan, with a bonus track Arrive Inside which was in English.

And after that, there's a cover of Alan "Aha" Parsons' Old & Wise, which is one word that can be used to describe Jadis, and that's for sure. This is a nice song.

The booklet is also worthy of a mention, with lots of nice drawings and pretty pictures of the band in various poses throughout the years even the old days with Trevor Dawkins, Paul Unwin, Progressive Pete Salmon and former Prog Giant Steve Rothery.

All in all, it's a neat and tidy package, that will keep all Jadishounds ticking over until the next proper CD or live album, or collection of real rarities (Lost for Words, Too Big For Luck, Don't Keep Me Waiting, In The Dark, Taking Your Time, Scratching the Surface, Shattered Silence and so on...) which surely must be coming...