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OCEANWORLD
Autumn are a little known British band who originated from Portsmouth.
The band was formed in 1974, during the latter days of the progressive rock era, and this CD marks the only lasting record of the band's musical output. The material on this CD was recorded pretty much in one take on an 8 track and, although some minor overdubs were made at the time of recording, this release has been made with no further alterations to their original form.
The band, at the time, consisted of Robbie Dobson on drums and Nick Magnus on keyboards, both of these musicians having formerly played in The Enid prior to their departure in 1976.
Robbie, subsequently, rejoined The Enid later on and appeared on their album 'Six Pieces', while Nick went on to play in the Steve Hackett band and, in fact, recorded several albums with them. Autumn's other members were Mark Easton on guitars and Steve Hoff on bass.
The CD consists of five tracks in total - all of them instrumental pieces.
The opening track, 'Oceanworld', together with 'Little Finger Exercise', 'The Celebrated Court Jester' and the final track, a short reprise of the opening piece, were all recorded on 21st September 1977. The oddly titled second track, 'Some Like it Crunchy', was recorded over May 28th to 29th 1978.
Until the release of this work a band called 'Craft' held the distinction of being the only Enid offshoot band to have recorded an album, well now the honours are shared - and the heritage of this particular work is
quite clear. The music is very much rooted in the unique 'Enid' sound, particularly the keyboard sections which dominate much of the album.
Much of the inspiration comes from classical stock but the overall feel of this work is a much lighter one, lacking the overblown pretentiousness that sometimes tended to hallmark The Enid's recordings. 'Oceanworld' goes beyond simply being a clone of the 'parent' band however. The levels of musicianship are superb throughout and both Mark Easton and Steve Hoff make a full contribution to the end result.
The quality of this work is very high indeed and my only grumble is that such a small amount of the band's material has survived, as I would love to hear more! To anyone seriously interested in the history of
progressive rock music, this CD comes as a real revelation and I can pretty well guarantee that if you have ever heard and enjoyed The Enid then you will certainly want to hear this one!
Simon 7th December 1999
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