"Greenslade" by GREENSLADE (September 2018 Esoteric Recordings 2CD Reissue - Ben Wiseman Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"...An English Western..."

Whilst Thin Lizzy had its duel-guitar onslaught out front from 1974 onwards – British Prog Rockers GREENSLADE (who shared the musical landscape with the Lizzies around the same time) decided to forego guitars altogether and concentrate on two Keyboardists out front with a Bass Player/Singer and Drummer bringing up the rear.

The band had a huge musical history and pedigree that's worth elaborating on – leader and namesake Dave Greenslade cut his teeth with Chris Farlowe and The Fabulous Thunderbirds on their two Columbia Records albums in 1964 and 1966 only to then join up towards the end of that mercurial decade with Jon Hiseman and his fusion-art-rock outfit Colosseum. Greenslade contributed to their Vertigo Records debut album "Valentyne Suite" (the label's November 1969 first LP on Vertigo VO 1), their second album "Those Who Are About To Die Salute You" on Fontana Records (also from 1969 - the band featuring Tony Reeves at this point) and their third record "Daughter Of Time" also on Vertigo Records in 1970 (Reeves had left but Chris Farlowe guested on some vocals). Dave is also on a final hurrah before the band disbanded with the 1971 live double "Colosseum Live". Second keyboardist Dave Lawson had done stints with Geno Washington and The Ram Jam Band, Avant Garde jazzers The Web for their third album "I Spider" in 1970 (issued on Polydor Records – the first two LPs were on Deram) who then morphed into the uber-cultish Samurai and issued a self-titled rarity in 1971 on the obscure Greenwich Gramophone Company Records label. Drummer Andrew McCulloch had bashed his kit for no less than King Crimson on their 1970 LP "Lizard" and later hit the tom toms for the revered CBS act Fields on their self-titled debut in 1971.

Formed in 1972 from the ashes of all these other bands – the foursome supergroup GREENSLADE were also riding on the wave of Progressive Rock's growing popularity - a complicated musical force that had been storming both the UK and USA in those formative years of 1970, 1971 and 1972. After signing to the prestigious Warner Brothers label – their self-titled debut was recorded/finished November and December 1972 and released February 1973 complete with deriguere Roger Dean logo and suitably flashy gatefold artwork (script writing akin to the inner sleeve on Yes' "Close To The Edge"). The Greenslade four-handed-man logo was in fact thought up by Dave Greenslade (drawn by Dean) to reflect the two sets of hands playing the music out front. All of this gorgeous artwork is reproduced on the three-way gatefold digipak and in the elaborate booklet.

The stage seemed set for success too. Those other Proggy giants Emerson, Lake & Palmer (also heavily leaning towards keyboards over guitars) had put their third platter "Trilogy" up at No. 2 in August 1972 on the UK LP charts and would do the same to "Brain Salad Surgery" in December 1973 on their own record label - Manticore Records. YES would put their triple-live "Yessongs" on the No. 7 spot in May of 1973 only to replace that with the four-sided double-album studio beastie that was "Tales From Topographic Oceans" in December - both hugely ambitious and highly unlikely Top Ten entries ("Tales From Topographic Oceans" went all the way to No. 1). In other words - 1973 was a massive year for Prog Rock both artistically and commercially.

I say all of this because despite the press giving our fine-feathered newcomers loads of coverage (six clippings from Melody Maker and NME adorn the new 24-page booklet) and despite their obvious Progressive Rock appeal and backdrop - Greenslade weren't the commercial success they should have been. Of the four albums they did in their classic period between 1973 and 1975 - it was only their third and most sophisticated work "Spyglass Guest" from August 1974 that charted - and even then at a lowly No. 34. In many ways, Greenslade are a footnote in chart history now. That doesn't mean they aren't remembered with huge affection (they are) and on evidence of this exemplary and comprehensive reissue series from Cherry Red's 'Esoteric Recordings' - it's easy to hear why. Let's get to the temple songs...

UK released Friday, 28 September 2018 - "Greenslade" by GREENSLADE on Esoteric Recordings PECLEC 22645 (Barcode 5013929474543) is an ‘Expanded Edition’ 2CD Reissue and new remaster of their 1973 Debut Album with a Bonus CD of Previously Unreleased 1973 BBC Recordings and it plays out as follows:

Disc 1 (40:40 minutes):

1. Feathered Friends [Side 1]

2. An English Western

3. Drowning Man

4. Temple Song

5. Mélange [Side 2]

6. What Are You Doin' To Me?

7. Sundance

Tracks 1 to 7 are their debut album "Greenslade" - released February 1973 in the UK on Warner Brothers K 46207 and July 1973 in the USA on Warner Brothers BS 2698. Produced by Dave Greenslade, Stuart Taylor and Tony Reeves - it didn't chart in the UK (made No. 218 in the USA).

Disc 2 (44:13 minutes, all PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED)

1. Temple Song

2. Feathered Friends

3. An English Western

Tracks 1 to 3 recorded 10 January 1973 for BBC Radio One's "Sound Of The Seventies" (first broadcast 29 Jan 1973)

4. Sundance

5. Drowning Man

6. Feathered Friends

7. Mélange

Tracks 4 to 7 recorded 5 April 1973 at the BBC Paris Theatre in London for BBC Radio One's "In Concert" Series

Introduced by ALAN BLACK and Produced by JEFF GRIFFIN

GREENSLADE was:

DAVE GREENSLADE - Keyboards

DAVE LAWSON - Keyboards and Vocals

TONY REEVES - Bass

ANDRW McCULLOCH - Drums and Percussion

The three-way fold out digipak is the generic packaging for all three of Esoteric's 2CD GREENSLADE reissues - each picture disc reflecting the Roger Dean artwork cover. The 28-page booklet too (helmed by noted writer MALCOLM DOME) comes with new interviews from Dave Greenslade and Dave Lawson and the whole thing is compiled, researched etc by resident Prog expert and label head honcho MARK POWELL. There's lots of black and white period photos of our fruity foursome and press clippings from the UK, USA and even Promo Sheets from Warner Brothers (most of which I've not seen before) - but disappointingly the lyrics that were on the inner gatefold sleeve (in Roger Dean script) are AWOL which is a bit of a shame considering the obvious effort put into this reissue. Still – it both looks and feels substantial.

Soundwise though - the minor niggle of missing words goes out the window when I clap my weary lugs on another great Remaster from BEN WISEMAN who along with Paschal Byrne is Esoteric's go-to tape guy. Like most I've had the two Rhino/Edsel reissues these last few years that covered their first four albums (I reviewed the "Spyglass Guest/Time And Tide" twofer they put out in May 2011) – and whilst they were good – the audio here is a major improvement. Rehearsed and prepared in advance (the band’s motto) – you can hear the tight rhythm section so clearly – especially Andrew McCulloch whose drums seem to hover just beside the duelling keyboard whizzes as if they were an integral part of the overall soundscape and not just a rhythmic backdrop (very Crimson in fact). Both the instrumentals "An English Western" and "Sundance" are now leaping and hopping through those creative time signatures – wickedly good. To the album...

Penned by Dave Greenslade (lyrics by Dave Lawson) - 6:47 minutes of "Feathered Friends" opens Side 1 with jaunty keys vying for your attention until it settles down into a "what's your poison..." lyrics. It's at this point that some might balk even wince - Dave Lawson's voice - it's a whinny thing and his affected strangulation of the words can take some getting used to. Some love it - I've always felt it was the band's ultimate weakness. At 3:27 minutes the shortish Dave Greenslade instrumental "An English Western" is an undoubted album high - very Camel in its cool keyboard breaks. Doom opens the Dave Greenslade penned "Drowning Man" - clutching at straws - images of comrade’s dead as the soft piano and Mellotron dance between slow and fast rhythms (the Audio is great). A concert favourite "Temple Song" closes Side 1 with its almost Japanese feel and harmony vocals showboating.

But it's Side 2's brilliant opener "Mélange" that gives the album its revered status - a fantastic 7:27 minutes of keyboards and harmony vocals that is broken up by Tony Reeves going all Chris Squire on his Bass. Using its heavy strings like a lead electric guitar - he combines this with the 'ah's and 'ohs' of the floating vocals and plinking pianos and Mellotron sways - it feels like properly sophisticated Prog Rock - brilliant stuff. Lawson returns for a vocal work out on the musically boppy "What Are You Doin' To Me?" but again his 'good guy - bad woman' words come over as terribly Seventies dated - like second rate ELP. Side 2 is closed with the album's other instrumental of sophistication - "Sundance" - another concert fave. A lovely remaster brings up the playing (that lovely turn of notes at 1:16) before it gets Prog Funky and romps off to keyboard soloing heaven only to return to beauty half-way in (impressive stuff).

I had half expected the Previously Unreleased live BBC stuff to be somehow under par - but the 'in the studio' Production values of "Temple Song" from January 1973 puts that one to bed right quick. This is shockingly good - clean - present - and if anything there's an air around the sound that seems to free their playing from the slightly po-faced stuffiness of the album versions. The piano is a bit muted at the beginning of "An English Western" for sure but its soon replaced by that rapid electric piano run and you can hear McCulloch's razor sharp drumming every bit of the way - very nicely done and a cool transfer of something that's been languishing on BBC shelves for over 45 years.  Alan Black introduces the former Colosseum 'Greenslade' and to cheers we're off into the wickedly good "Sundance" - a clever opener that immediately wins the crowd over. The morose "Drowning Man" is sung in almost silence whilst Producer Jeff Griffin did well to catch the huge sound of "Feathered Friends" as the band lifts off into rapid keyboard races. But its "Mélange" that's the stunner here - Greenslade clearly able to reproduce their studio sound out in the great wide open - Reeves getting a chance to shine on those Yes/Crimson-sounding bass runs. Fans will dig this.

I've always felt that "Greenslade" was a four-star keyboard Prog Rock beginning that would lead to the sophistication of "Spyglass Guest" in August of the following year. But (those missing lyrics notwithstanding) this is a five-star 2CD reissue of an obscurity that deserves reappraisal. The packaging is great, the booklet informative and cool looking, the audio a big improvement on what went before and that second disc of unreleased, a no-filler winner.

The second album "Beside Manners Are Extra" is due on a 2-Disc set November 2018 and the mighty third this Friday, 26 October 2018. I’m looking forwarding to all of them now. Nicely done boys...

GREENSLADE – Two-Disc 2018 CD Reissues from Esoteric Recordings of the UK

1. "Greenslade" (February 1973 UK Debut LP) – reissue released 28 September 2018 on Esoteric Recordings PECLEC 22645 (Barcode 5013929474543) – 2CD Remaster with Seven Previously Unreleased BBC ‘In Concert’ performances on Disc 2 (recorded January and April 1973)

2. "Bedside Manners Are Extra" (November 1973 Second Album) – reissue released 30 November 2018 on Esoteric Recordings PECLEC 22654 (Barcode 5013929475441) – CD & DVD Remaster with Three Previously Unreleased BBC Sessions after the album on CD1 (recorded October 1973) and a Three-Song Warner Brothers Promotional Film Recorded 1973 along with Two Old Grey Whistle Test Appearances (November 1973) on the Region Free DVD

3. "Spyglass Guest" (August 1974 Third Album) – reissue released 26 October 2018 on Esoteric Recordings PECLEC 22647 (Barcode 5013929474741) – 2CD Remaster with Eight Previously Unreleased BBC Radio Sessions on Disc 2 (recorded November 1974)