"Staircase To The Day" by GRAVY TRAIN – Fourth And Final UK Studio Album From July 1974 on Dawn Records – Guests including Bobby Harrison of Juicy Lucy and Snafu, Peter Solley of Paladin, Procol Harum and Snafu with Jim Frank of Fox, Mary Zinovieff (sessioned for Fox), Vic Smith and Soul Singer P.P. Arnold (October 2016 UK Esoteric Recordings Expanded Edition CD Reissue with Two Bonus Tracks from 1975 – Ben Wiseman Remaster) - A Review by Mark Barry...

<iframe style="width:120px;height:240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" src="//ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=GB&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=mabasreofcdbl-21&language=en_GB&marketplace=amazon&region=GB&placement=B01KVSSWTQ&asins=B01KVSSWTQ&linkId=6e60b6a87ba73fceacb4d1a55f6de1a2&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true"></iframe>

This Review Along With 319 Others Is Available In My

SOUNDS GOOD E-Book on all Amazon sites
CADENCE / CASCADE 

PROG ROCK, PSYCH, AVANT GARDE...
And Others Genres Thereabouts
Exceptional CD Remasters

Covering 1967 to 1977 - It Also Focuses On

Fusion Rock, Acid Folk, Art Rock and Underground 

Just Click Below To Purchase

Thousands of E-Pages - All Details and In-Depth Reviews From Discs

(No Cut and Paste Crap)

"...The Last Day..."

Lancashire's hard rocking Progressive Rock act GRAVY TRAIN managed four albums across two labels between 1970 and 1973. 

First out of the blocks came their self-titled debut "Gravy Train" on Vertigo 6360 023 in December 1970 (a listed £500 rarity), the follow-up "(A Ballad Of) A Peaceful Man" on Vertigo 6360 051 in November 1971 (now a £1000 listing) and their third outing in the shape of "Second Birth" from March 1973 on Dawn Records DNLS 3046 (newly signed to the label). 

This superb-sounding October 2016 British CD reissue deals with their fourth and final Prog Rock outing "Staircase To The Day" from July 1974 - their second and last album with England's Dawn Records. In fact excepting dodgy bootlegs and a rare deleted 2007 Repertoire issue in a card digipak (itself a limited edition of 3000) - this flying creature Roger Dean artwork album has long been unavailable on an official CD remaster - until now. 

Typically, Esoteric Recordings (part of Cherry Red in the UK) have done the audio business on this rarity – chunky booklet and quality audio. Here are the tales of quick ones in the evening of life...

UK released 28 October 2016 (November 2016 in the USA) - "Staircase To The Day" by GRAVY TRAIN on Esoteric Recordings ECLEC 2565 (Barcode 5013929466548) is an Expanded Edition CD Reissue and Remaster of their final 1974 studio album with Two 1975 Bonus Tracks. It plays out as follows (51:00 minutes):

1. Starbright Starlight [Side 1]
2. Bring My Life On Back To Me 
3. Never Wanted You
4. Staircase To The Day
5. Going For A Quick One [Side 2]
6. The Last Day
7. Evening Of My Life
8. Busted In Schenectady
Tracks 1 to 8 are their fourth and final studio album "Staircase To The Day" - released July 1974 in the UK on Dawn Records DNLH 1 (didn’t chart UK and was unissued in the USA). Produced by VIC SMITH - all songs written by Norman Barratt except "Going For A Quick One" by Candy Carr and Vic Smith and "Evening Of My Life" which is a co-write between Norman Barratt and John Hughes. 

BONUS TRACKS: 
9. Climb Aboard The Gravy Train (And Get On To A Good Thing)
10. Sanctuary 
Tracks 9 and 10 are the non-album A&B-sides of a 25 July 1975 UK 45-single on Dawn Records DNS 1115 (both sides written by Norman Barratt and Produced by Vic Smith). 

NOTE: "Good Time Thing" was a non-album B-side to the 8 February 1974 UK 45-single for "Starbright Starlight" on Dawn Records DNS 1058, that A-side being a track taken from the "Staircase To The Day" LP. That exclusive B-side is not on this CD, but is on the CD Reissue and Remaster for "Second Birth" as a Bonus Track – see Esoteric Recordings ECLEC 2562 (Barcode 5013929466241).

GRAVY TRAIN was: 
NORMAN BARRATT – Electric and Acoustic Lead Guitar and Vocals
(JOHN) J.D. HUGHES – Keyboards (Piano, Organ etc) and Flute
GEORGE LYNON – Electric and Acoustic Guitar 
LES WILLIAMS - Bass Guitar
RUSSELL CORDWELL - Drums and Percussion on all tracks except Jim Frank on three (see Guests below) 

Guests: 
BOBBY HARRISON (of Juicy Lucy and Snafu) – Backing Vocals on "Bring Back My Life To Me", "Going For A Quick One" and "Busted In Schenectady"
PETER SOLLEY (of Paladin, Procol Harum and Snafu) – Synthesiser on "Starbright Starlight" and "Going For A Quick One"
MARY ZINOVIEFF – Synthesiser of "Staircase To The Day" and Electric Violin on "Busted In Schenectady"
JIM FRANK (of Fox) – Drums on "Starbright Starlight" and "Going For A Quick One" and Harp on "Never Wanted You"
VIC SMITH – Cowbell on "Going For A Quick One"
FAY & DORIS of THE GOSPEL AYERS – Backing Vocals on "Starbright Starlight" and "Going For A Quick One"
P.P. ARNOLD (as Pat Arnold) – Backing Vocals on "Busted In Schenectady"

Compiled and co-ordinated by Mark and Vicky Powell - the very "Close To The Edge" shaped logo that gave the album its title but was almost unreadable – now clearly centres Page 2 of the wonderfully indepth 16-page booklet. Alongside those photos of the five lads (the ones used inside the original gatefold), that striking Roger Dean artwork is also featured throughout the booklet, on the picture disc and on the inlay beneath the see-through CD tray. Long-time writer for Esoteric and other reissue labels, MALCOLM DOME provides the new liner notes that also include lyrics and song-writing reminiscences from band members John Hughes and Bassist Les Williams plus older quotes from founder member and principal songwriter Norman Barratt. It’s an entertaining and affectionate read for what the band clearly felt was their best album, albeit one that like the single that followed in 1975, was all but ignored. But the big news is a BEN WISEMAN Remaster from original tapes that really rocks. To the music...

Sounding not unlike a less strangulated version of Uriah Heep - Barratt takes the lead for the well-recorded "Starlight Starbright" – a chugging rocker about ultraviolet ultra-cosmic death-defying rays of light (yeah baby). Things mellow into an almost Neil Young Harvest vibe with "Bring My Life Back To Me" where our hero wanders through streets of pain as an organ and piano hammer home the anguish (feel like I’m almost dead). The pumping Harmonica and guitar-driven "Never Wanted You" makes you feel like you’ve stumbled on Savoy Brown who have just discovered anger and Prog at the same time (nice turn on the chorus). Seven and half minutes of the album title track ends Side 1 on a high - "Staircase To The Day" containing Fruupp, Genesis and even Gentle Giant in all their melodic complexity – flutes soothing treated guitars. 

Central control has been attacked in the very Heavy Metal Kids of "Going For A Quick One" over on Side 2 - where Gravy Train suddenly sounds like a mash-up of Foghat and Nazareth at times. It’s a great groove and the Bass in it jumps out of the mix. And again not a million miles away from the guitar-Rock of say Michael Chapman - "The Last Day" returns to Prog as that flute joins the guitars and cleverly introduced acoustic strums. The short three-minutes of "Evening Of My Life" opens with mournful piano and echoed vocals that hurt – our man feeling old and down – not wanting to make a sound. The album ends on the eight-minute-plus of "Busted In Schenectady" – the long-haired boys of Gravy Train not really welcome – gotta move on lads as the slide guitars get mean. And again it feels almost Rush – Rock meets complexity and comes out on top (both Soul Singer P.P. Arnold and Bobby Harrison of Snafu provide backing vocals). The two single cuts are cool too. 

A huge step up from the rather ordinary "Second Birth" album in 1973 that preceded it, "Staircase To The Day" is a very good 1974 Rock meets Prog Elements album and Esoteric Recordings have done this unfairly forgotten beast proud. Nice one...