Member:
Phil Jackson
(Profile)
(All Album Reviews by Phil Jackson)
Date:
11/27/2008
Format:
CD (Album)
Composed like The Man from the East as a multimedia piece “Dunes” moves through many moods in its 15 minutes from dark to light with a breathtaking crescendo, it is in fact a wonderful example of a multi-part jazz rock fusion opus. “33 1/3” , (included with “One Way” and “Poker Dice” in the unreleased soundtrack for ‘The Man Who Fell To Earth’) is a showcase for Yamash’ta’s evocative and innovative percussive experimentations with timpani, gongs and apparently the ‘kitchen sink’ all appropriated to stunning effect. The title track moves Yamash’ta and co more into the transition from theatre to stadium rock epitomised by the Go project in 1976 with its exquisite Gary Boyle guitar, a funk beat and a vocal by Murray Head (whose Nigel Lived incidentally is a vastly underrated concept album from 1972 that still has a pride of place in my collection). “The Monk’s Song”, on the funky side of the blues, has a “Black Magic Woman” feel while “Shadows” in total contrast is a lovely violin/ piano led piece. And this illustrates what is perhaps a difficulty for Raindog and makes it a rather schismatic album, neither one thing nor the other. Still, it is a strong collection of pieces and well worth having, effectively at the border between ‘theatre rock’ and the marvelous Go collaboration to come.
(ECLEC 2085)
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