|
RECORDING INFORMATION |
This is a compilation of works from 5 previously released and currently unavailable works.
|
|
|
| COMMENTS & REVIEWS |
|
Nuno
|
Published on: 26 Jun 2002
Greg Segal is most known for his guitar skills in the improvisational musical circuits, for his work in such projects as Paper Bag and Jugalbandi.
Credit must be given to this gentleman for his ability of pulling out the most uncommon sounds from his gear. And that is really his most notable achievement.
Always look on the dark side of life is a compilation of songs from his solo efforts, until now only available on cassette. This long-term retrospective set (from 1984 to 1993) cruises a lot of different approaches, in a representation of the styles and streams that have been the main influences in Greg’s career. This is why the album presents such different and opposite genres. The three first songs are all about hard and edgy rock, not that much related to the progressive genre. The distorted guitar and the professional drumming are the main interesting points, though the sound quality does not help, many times giving the idea of garage-playing, such is the level of unnatural and unrelated distortion.
To tell the truth, the recording quality is not the only thing that will be related to garage in this record, for Greg’s music crosses boundaries and sips energy from such apart genres as Garage-Rock, Psychedelic, Spacey and occasional hints of Progressive Rock.
Introduction and If I die tomorrow are better constructed and take the album to a different level on musical enjoyment. The music becomes more focused and the instruments are better positioned, finally achieving a professional interplay status. In If I die tomorrow the guitar work is tremendous, both while soloing and while just setting a psychedelic background upon which the music is constructed.
So far is not a music for this album, that’s for sure! The pseudo-60’s pop is just not the style Greg should be playing…
King of Illusion and A Man who was here are more like it! The bolting drums and the distorted guitar sound are much more likeable for a progger, though the sung chorus in King.. should really be avoided. The overall sound is more psychedelic, reminiscent of early 70’s psych-rock.
The short Discharge enters a new realm in this album’s musical orientations, as it comprises of a spacey collage of sounds that would be further explored by Greg Segal in future works.
Nothing in the dark once again gives you the impression of being listening to early-70’s sounds from some gifted psychedelic band. This is one of my favorite songs here. The song is all about the guitar – both acoustic and electric (which only enters in the soloing part).
The taker sounds more contemporary and its very well constructed, in a slow grief crescendo, while the vocals set a sentimental fire-zone. The track I like the best, with a real doom-proggish architecture.
I was back in school again continues the best part of the album. It’s mainly an acoustic track transported to its ethereal and psychedelic status by eerie and semi-distant vocals. The accompanying guitar solo in the final minutes is tremendously melodic and moody.
Water from the Moon starts the final milestone in the album, presenting a more spacey compositional texture. There is an electronic feeling that was absent in most of the album and basically all musical concept is dramatically changed in this song.
Honor is another unfortunate exception in this album, and it seems to me that this song should have been left out of the compilation for it doesn’t have anything to do with the rest of the songs (except maybe the first 3).
Motifs has a deep progressive feeling to it, though not in an evident way. It just sounds to me like a minimalist form of the prog stream. The guitar solo is curious for it sounds just like a distorted version of something Carlos Santana might do. The vocals here are occasionally reminiscent of Peter Hammil’s La Rossa.
The time to be starts in a jazzy and groovy way, but when the singing starts it reminds me of some art-rock from the later 60’s.
Demolished has a kind of gothic hallow that is set by the dark tone vocals and bass. Eventually the vocal tone changes to a more colorful set and the song escapes from that goth-rock grasp.
What gives you the right closes the album with sentimental vocals and dense pop-prog sounds. The guitar solo is, again, mind-blowing in terms of objectiveness and melodic sense.
Though not diving in pure progressive waters, this album has its interesting moments and should be quite effective to those that like psychedelic-rock or just extremely good guitar work.
|
| TRACKS |
CREDITS
(click to view performer credits) |
PROGGNOSIS SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY
(click to view Release Page) |
From Night Circus
- As the Sky Turns to Fire - 2:54
- Cold Sky - 5:42
- Night Circus (Pt. 2) - 3:43
- Introduction - 2:03
From A Man Who Was Here
- If I Die Tommorow - 4:38
- So Far - 2:34
- King of Illustion (edit) - 2:00
- A Man Who Was Here - 6:17
From Experimental Guitar
- Discharge (edit) - 1:26
From Water From the Moon
- Nothing in the Dark (That's Not There in the Light) - 2:42
- The Taker - 7:28
- I Was Back in School Again - 6:57
- Water From the Moon - 5:45
From Darkland Express
- Honor - 3:19
- Motifs - 4:49
- The Time to Be - 3:18
- Demolished - 3:40
- What Gives You the Right - 3:51
|
|
|
|
ProGGnosis - Progressive Rock & Fusion
PO Box 27226
Golden Valley, MN 55427-0226
Copyright © 2000 - 2010 where appropriate - All rights reserved.
Comments & Feedback - email:
ProGGnosis Webmaster
|
|
