Giona

Absolutely. In fact, I truly regret that a gem like "Ice" has to find itself isolated (and penalized) in an album that, with songs like "Your Love Is Stranger than Mine," "Neon Magic," and "Remote Romance," fails even remotely to represent it adequately.

Look Hetzer, I am also a great lover of "Breathless" and I can assure you that in this album, just like in the previous "Rain Dances," Richard does not limit himself to a singing style with its characteristic timbre and melancholic aura, but directs, thanks to the jazzy rhythm marked by the bass, the sound of the entire band towards a familiar style that, as Rajaz rightly stated, would not be out of place as an ideal sequel to "Waterloo Lily." Mel Collins has a seemingly greater instrumental impact, but I doubt that, without Richard's presence, his brass would have adopted the Canterbury style that stands out so much in pieces like "One of These Days I'll Get an Early Night" and "The Sleeper," or in the spectacular live rendition of "Never Let Go" (from "A Live Record"). Regarding the breaks, I believe there is a stylistic abyss between "Moonmadness" and "Rain Dances," but absolutely no qualitative difference, while between "Breathless" and "I Can See Your House from Here" there is not only a sudden change of direction but also a noticeable decline in creative value.

Anyway, leaving aside the precepts of Canterbury, your first review clearly reveals a genuine devotion to the work of Andrew and his historic band, and besides that, I really like that you chose an album that hasn’t been reviewed yet instead of just singing praises and generating a string of duplicates (as happens all the time). Well done and welcome aboard! :D

But you see, the "Canterbury Sound" is much more 'substance' than 'form' in and of itself. In the case of Camel (77-78), the form is a soft jazz-rock, while the substance and atmosphere it generates is precisely "made in Kent" (and Richard's influence here is so colossal that even Andrew feels more than ever diminished), light-years away from the dreamy symphonic rock of Peter, Andy & company in their early days. Because of this peculiarity of sound and technique, I feel safe in asserting that covers of such pieces will, 90% of the time, yield very modest results. Then again, it could be that my relationship with the "Canterbury Sound" grazes on the mystical side :p

A tribute of this kind must manage to encompass an entire career, so it would have been risky to introduce all (or almost all) the tracks from "Moonmadness," as historic as they are, and leave out "Breathless" (which, personally, I prefer, but that's another story). That said, it's worth specifying that reproducing the "Canterbury" sound (from the ‘77/’78 period) is not easy, so perhaps it's better that the pieces of that genre have been (at least in part) spared from a poor interpretation (just look at the sad slow-motion remake of "The Sleeper"). I'm not a huge fan of tributes and I don't believe I can evaluate them objectively, so I'll leave the ratings at home. It's still interesting, though, the idea of giving space to this double album :)

Great job! Much respect for the late Rick Van Der Linden, but I can't elevate the works of these Trace beyond a moderately "good" level. Personally, the redundant sound of the keyboard tends to wear on me after a few tracks. Nonetheless, an interesting rediscovery :)

Sure, Dsalva, don't mention it... Antonio, I wish you all the best in case you decide to try to capture the heart of the sweet Kim ;)

Thank you Dsalva :) If you were puzzled by Green's last comment, know that he was responding to me and Jargon regarding the issue of the covers made by Kim Poor... See you next time!

Thank you, Defender, and a special thanks to Antonio, from whom I am honored to have received such a demonstration of esteem. Writing, in an attempt to do justice to works that have profoundly marked me and consequently pointing them out to others, is truly the least I can do to express my gratitude to those who created them, who will always have my sincerest admiration.

Thank you, Stricnina. Personally, when I approach an artist, I prefer to follow the releases in chronological order. However, if you're not a fan of Genesis, I doubt you would be captivated by the fairytale-like and deeply progressive atmospheres of the debut "Voyage of the Acolyte" (1975). Therefore, similarly to what Giustiziere suggested (why are you apologizing? Yours is a good piece of advice), who points to the third album "Spectral Mornings" (1979), I would recommend starting with the second one, "Please Don't Touch" (1978), and if it aligns with your tastes, I would continue at least until the fourth, "Defector" (1980). Recommending Steve's works, however, is quite challenging, because his discography touches on so many different genres (Progressive, Blues, Rock, Classical...) that the suggestible albums vary from person to person.