Title

Label/Cat No.

Year

Length

The Deafening Silence

MSI  CDMS 1168

1994

43.13

Shooting Albatross

Abel Records ARAG001CD

2008

THE DEAFENING SILENCE

The somewhat unusual name of this Scottish band was inspired by a French film director of the 1920's by the name of Abel Gance! Liking the sound of the name, they made a minor spelling change, and started playing together in the early 1980's - at the height of the 'neo-prog' revival.  Despite some pretty solid recordings they are perhaps best known for having provided Pallas with a replacement vocalist, after the departure of Euan Lowson, in the form of Alan Reed. Although back then they were keen not to portray themselves as a progressive act in the mould of Marillion or Pallas, they made no bones about the fact that their music at times reflected the sounds of the later progressive rock period.

Initially the band had only four members but by the time this CD was released, in the mid 90's, they were a five piece outfit with only bassist Hugh Carter surviving from the beginnings.  The other members were Christopher Forsyth - vocals, Robert Wilson - guitars and b/v, Stuart Clyde - keyboards and vocals and, finally, Colin Johnson on drums and backing vocals.  Worthy of note however is that original keyboard player Hew Montgomery is credited with having written music and lyrics to 'The Radical Departs' as well as contributing to a number of other songs on the album.

'The Deafening Silence' has a fairly good mix of styles and, although there is much that derives from the neo-prog arena, there are also some unique touches that make this something more than a straightforward early 80's clone. Keyboard, guitar and bass work are all given ample chance to come into their own at different points and the vocals, although a little rough edged at times, are generally well suited to the sound the band produce.

Musically the keyboard sound comes over very strongly on many of the tracks with a very showy, flowery style - so common place among neo-prog outfits. This is particularly true in the case of tracks like 'Look at Me Now' and 'Serendipity' which just seems to invite comparisons to the likes of early Marillion or Pendragon but, despite the domination of the keyboard lines, the music seems to have an edge to it that makes such comparisons acceptable.

One of my favourite tracks is one I have already mentioned, 'The Radical Departs'.  This seems to harken back to the days of Procol Harum and Forsyth's vocals are very close indeed to Gary Brooker in terms of both sound and delivery.  The tones of the hammond organ emphasise the connection and Hugh Carter pumps out a solid bass line that underpins the whole piece in a classy but unfussy manner.  This is an excellent track by any standards, and comes across very well indeed!

The album's title track has more of an AOR angle to it and is a solid mid paced number with a social conscience, dealing unashamedly as it does with environmental issues.  Again, Carter's bass work is very much in the picture and there are some nice piano and acoustic guitar touches that give the track a degree of subtlety.

For me there is only one weak link on the album. 'Hold the Moment' is a fair enough rock song which seems to never really get going with any conviction, and I feel that it doesn't really suit Forsyth's vocal style.

'Stranger in Your Heart', on the other hand, is another rock style song which is fairly slow, but seems to develop well. From slow beginnings there is a gradual increase in pressure to the point where the percussion cuts in and we are treated to some magnificent soaring guitar work, from Robert Wilson, which is uplifting to the extreme. The use of backing vocals in the repeat chorus sections toward the end of the track also works well, although the track could perhaps have benefited from a definite ending rather than a fade to finish.

The best of all, to my mind, is the last track, 'It's Different Now', which is the one I tend to play for a quick fix.  The blend here is quite astounding. The track starts out with a tinkling 'musical box' sound that repeats over and over and which is initially joined by electric guitar and, by the time the bass and keyboards cut in as well, the track is starting to sound a bit like 'Xanadu' by Rush.  The vocal line however seems to be very blues based, and when following the vocal line and listening to the sweeping hammond organ sound I'm put in mind of Rod Stewart's 'Stay With Me'. The combination may sound odd ... but my goodness, it works!

Whether intentionally or not, Abel Ganz's music seems to sum up much of the vitality that was present in the golden days of the Marquee Club in London's Wardour Street, in the years before it closed and, despite any shortcomings this album may have, I have become very fond of the sound that has been created here.  After all, if we accept that in the 80's bands were copying the best of the 70's, then there is no reason why bands of the 90's should not be allowed to draw from their predecessors from over a decade before - particularly in this case, where the band were actually part of that movement! Not without it's faults, but certainly worth checking out all the same.

Simon 9th July 2000

SHOOTING ALBATROSS

Tracklist:
Looking For A Platform (15:06); So Far (23:31); Sheepish (12:55);
Ventura (14:38)

LINEUP
Hugh Carter - Lead and backing vocals, various acoustic stringed
                         instruments, Flute, additional keyboards.
Hew Montgomery - Keyboards
David Mitchell - Electric and acoustic guitars
Stephen Donnelly - 4 & 5 string Basses.
Denis Smith - Drums and backing vocals
Stuart "Mick" MacFarlane - Lead vocals, acoustic and electric guitars (4).

Guest Musicians:
Jack Webb - Hammond Piano and Moog Solos (1) plus additional keyboards (1,3)
Chris Fry - Slide Guitar solo (1) Heavy Guitar solo (2)
Alan Reed - Lead Vocals (2)
Stevie Lawrence- Bouzouki (2,3,4) Mandolin (2,4), Tenor Banjo (2) and Whistle (2)
Fiona Cuthill - Violin, Whistle and Recorder (2)

REVIEW

It's 14 years since Abel Ganz released their last CD 'The Deafening Silence', but now after many years of hard work the band are back once again with a brand new work 'Shooting Albatross'. Of the lineup that appeared on the last Abel Ganz album  only Hugh Carter remains, but the new lineup see's a return to the fold not just of cofounder member Hew Montgomery but also drummer Dennis Smith who previously worked with the band on their 'Dangers of Strangers' album back in 1988. Guitarist Dave Mitchell the band in 2000 when work on the new album first began with bassist Steve Donnelly joining the fold in 2006.  Completing the lineup is Stuart MacFarlane (lead vocalist and guitars), who did not become involved until 2007. As the band were then in the final stages of recording, his late arrival explains his limited appearance on the album.

Now, I know a lot of Progressive fans love long numbers, but I have to confess that personally I am not a fan.  As the years have gone by I find my attention span is not what it was and I would much prefer to take a decent set of shorter songs over what often turns out to be a few self indulgent epics any day of the week. With this in mind you can perhaps imagine how my heart sank on receiving my copy of 'Shooting Albatross' and finding that despite a run time of over an hour it contained only four tracks!

Thankfully however I try to remain as open minded as possible and despite any personal misgivings I might have had at this stage, I was determined to give the album a fair hearing - and I must say that I am very glad I did as what followed proved to be something of a revelation.

OK the tracks are long, but they have a lot of variation in terms of musical style, tone and texture, and constant changes in rhythm and tempo make them really fly by. There are some incredibly uplifting sections of guitar work to be found on this album, and the keyboard playing throughout is skilful without ever being overly showy. There is a piano piece in the opening number which is quite simply beautiful. Everything seems to fit pretty well into place with nothing being laboured or drawn out for the sake of show, but rather the sound flows smoothly along carrying the listener along with it. 

Musical influences are at times quite clear, there are obvious references to King Crimson in the opening track, 'Looking for a Platform', while elsewhere one can hear more than a passing nod to the likes of Genesis and Yes, particularly when one considers the use of vocal harmonies, but even so the album manages to keeps an identity of it's own.

The second track 'So Far' is by far the strongest track on the album and to my mind is an absolute master piece in every respect.  It opens with the sound of the sea followed by a very folk influenced section using violin and recorder, which is a theme reused later in the track. As things pick up and the vocals cut in another treat is in store for the listener - lead vocals are from none other than Alan Reed who was the bands vocalist in the early days, before he was whisked away to join Pallas. Alan does an absolutely stellar job here, and his very unique vocal style makes for a very strong particularly when we come to the refrain in the closing section of the number which really leaves the listener on a high. The vocals and the music behind them do put one in mind of Pallas and this is perhaps heightened by similarities in subject matter between this track and the Pallas song 'Ghostdancers' from 'The Dreams of Men'.  Musically the track has everything, guitar work is excellent, bass and drums do a masterful job, and the folk references add considerably to the mood.

Without a doubt 'So Far' is the jewel in the albums crown and I would not hesitate to recommend the album on the strength of this number alone.

So, in order to keep a balanced view of things what about any potential negatives? Well, as I have already said musically this is a very fine album, but there are some weaknesses too and paradoxically it is the strength of 'So Far' that for me at least bring into into sharper focus areas that perhaps would not otherwise have been perceived as weak at all.  Alan Reed's vocals have as I stated above a very unique character, and after listening to his contribution to the album, the other tracks seemed a little flat in the vocal department.  The build up to the climax of 'So Far' is also hard to top, and coming second on the album I found myself listening to tracks 3 and 4 with a trace of regret that they did not quite hit the spot. This is unfortunate as there is nothing wrong with them but they kind of get lost - to put it another way, you don't see the beauty of the stars when the sun is shining - they are still there, but you cannot see them.

All in all this album marks a very welcome return by a band that has been away for far too long. As was the case with Deafening Silence I found that it is an album that is not without it's faults, but the positives more than make up for the negatives and it is certainly an album that grows on you. Over the last few weeks I have enjoyed listening to 'Shooting Albatross' immensely during my long journeys to and from work, and I am confident that this is an album that I will come back to at a later date. Well worth getting hold of!

Simon - July 27th 2008