CD Review  

John Young Band
"Live at the CRS"

Rating 84%

reviewed by O'Mara

 

Band
John Young (keys)
Robin Boult (guitar)
John Jowitt (bass)
Dave Stewart (drums)

 

available from

 

 John Young must really hate us. Or rather, he must really love us. Two years back he sent us a copy of Significance, a wonderful album for which the review has constantly been "Coming Soon". There's a long tale about what happened to the review copy, but this is not the time, nor the place...

So now we get to the Live disc. This was recorded, as it says, in front of an enthusiastic, not to say drunk, crowd at the Herringthorpe Leisure Centre in Rotherham for the Classic Rock Society last year.

The set kicks off with the mellow title track from Significance, then moves up a gear into When I Was Young, driven by Dave "Not That One" Stewarts massive drumming and Robin "Middle Of Winter" Boults faultless fretwork, giving possibly his best post-Metro's display. Just One Day follows next and keeps up the mood and tempo nicely.

For the uninitiated, John Young's solo music is more Adult Contempory than Pure Prog, and very often guitar led, with "Young" John Young's immaculate keyboards taking more of a back seat, occasionally pointing out directions. His voice is in the same vein as a younger Steve Hogarth, though less strained and more natural.

Underside is the standout song, a slow moody, atmospheric tale, Young's lament for the poor, downtrodden and lonely people who inhabit the so-called underside of life, while the rest of the world grow fat and lazy with their 24 hour, remote control lifestyle.

So, all in all, this shows off John Young's music as big, moody and adult, though there are bright light songs like the wonderful Childhoods End.

John has kindly set up a couple of the tracks as free downloads -

Kings
Childhood's End