PENDRAGON principal discography

Call it a single or a mini-album, "As Good As Gold" is something a little artificially detached from "The Masquerade Overture". The title track is an edited version of an album track and, taken out of context, sounds maybe more catchy although it comes to a halt very abruptedly. It's strange that "Bird Of Paradise" didn't make the album as it has the same mood and even themes, with interlocking instruments playing - feels like the track was withdrawn onto the EP in the last minute but it's here that Clive Nolan runs his scales the most freely.

Once the star status gained, the band set to create music rather than struggle for fame. Hard to say, why this wonderful body of work is titled "The Masquerade Overture" - was there some series planned to be opened by the album? Fortunately, the music bears no sign of possible self-indulgence although a concept album this song cycle is and opens with beautiful "The Masquerade Overture" courtesy of Clive Nolan - while music, as usual, is written by Nick Barrett. Almost orchestrated and adorned with piano piece in the vein of Rachmaninov it unfurls into powerful solemn chorale sung in Italian to break down and pass its melodic theme to "As Good As Gold", a song very exquisite in its quiet intro and ringing out in the middle section, where Nick's voice comes underpinned by the baroque organ and additional vocals from Simon Clew. Interesting, guitar work touches more classic rock'n'roll base, not art rock one, and this seemimg contradiction works for a great effect.

For gentle "Paintbox" Clive chose a kind of harpsichord arrangement that goes so smooth along sparse guitar lines leaving space for Peter Gee's bass to fill. Central part sounds not unlike FLOYD's "Goodbye Blue Sky" yet takes on very different mood, where synthesizer and bass couple for a swaggering dance to release a freefall guitar solo - a shade of KANSAS hiding in the wings. And how refreshing in its simplicity appears an English folk-based ditto "The Pursuit Of Excellence" ("Mull Of Kintyre" an inspiration?) with keys imitating bagpipes. On the contrary, "Guardian Of My Soul" boasts of polyrhythmical - thanks to versatile Fudge Smith - structures akin to TULL's 'Living In The Past" and very clever acoustic guitar lace against fluid electric currents. Quite a strange song for PENDRAGON canon yet revealing previously unseen facet of the quartet. Time changes, "Paintbox" and "As Good As Gold" themes return, drums roll, flute decorated scherzo plays - and Barrett weaves his poetry that went now beyond simple lyrics. A treat now!

Classically awashed in piano, begins gentle "The Shadow" including a menuet and a guitar rainbow lying on bass-provided pillars, claustrophobia gone for an open landscape with pace quickened to get the blue skies back. Tracy Hitchings joins Nick for a mighty chorus with a hint of GENESIS' "Entangled". After this, "Masters Of Illusion" comes in as a self-parody but catchy chorus and a funky intersection laden with Nolan's soloing plus a march from Fudge make it a somewhat strange finale, too histrionic to enjoy but with Page-esque guitar flight. The listening is rewarding but, with no impressive ending to match the overture, masks are still on.

*****

With Clive Nolan and Fudge Smith having settled into the fold, PENDRAGON embark on their second outing. And it's different from the off, "Saved By You" is difficult to call "progressive" as it's a top-notch synth-pop that reigned in mid-Eighties. Posh keyboards with just a little tickling from guitar and rhythm section simply doing the job. Why didn't it dent the charts then sounding dated now? "The Mask" has Nick taking funk off his instrument while melody's no special though somewhat catchy - maybe due to the repetitive hook and heavy pulsation. Is "Time For A Change" a rock'n'roll - judging on drums intro? No, think A-HA here. Well, PENDRAGON was a strange name for a pop combo! But it was all well-thought and production perfectly complements the songs. "I Walk The Rope", adorned by sax wail, appears a strong ballad - and there's a Phil Collins' ghost somewhere in the curtains. A good sign.

Sax soars on the "2 AM" intro, a song melancholy yet not banal in its development - Barrett's voice sounds so sincere here, and no matter what genre it is as it's good. And so naturally out of this springs "Total Recall", another anxious piano-driven ballad in the beginning but a pop-prog gem, indeed, with exquisite semi-acoustic guitar solo. The drift now seems schemed with no occasional song placing. "The Haunting" pushes the band to their GENESIS roots yet this "welcome home" step feels strange with too serious approach which sees a melody out - wasn't "Lamb" a lesson? The solo, though, is one of the greatest. Right, when intensity builds the piece fits the overall picture and sports clever lyrics that progress. "Solid Heart" comes given to Fudge to show off, otherwise this bouncing song is none more than a filler, singalong bit notwithstanding. "KowTow" incorporating Oriental jangle belongs where it's at, drawing a bottom line to the album and finally giving a proper spot for bass to shake. In this powerful song there's a perfect combination of pop and prog tendencies with latter taking over. Fortunately.

***1/2

That's where one of the best post-Seventies progressive bands had their start. Not the proper first release, there was mini-album "Fly High Fall Far" released a year before, but the first full-length album. As PENDRAGON were no newcomers at the time of recording, it's a little surprise that they came up with such a confident debut.

To compare them with MARILLION hardly makes sense but, anyway, both groups picked on where classic GENESIS style broke down and that's been on display since "Jewel" onwards. "Higher Circles" flows in jaunty with Rick Carter providing a silver keyboards strain before Nick Barrett enthuses and handles both vocals and guitar with a bravado underpinned by drumrolls from Nigel Harris and there are Peter Gee's run-ups when guitar swirls. A very Eighties tune where synthesizers splash in a "plastic" way and let guitars cut in. Melodically though, the opener loses to "The Pleasure Of Hope", more imaginative in the instruments parts that swell on the intro to punctuate rhythmically the double-tracked voice later on. The piece comes spacious with guitar taking the lead in Page-like way but behind the wall of bass and drums - and what a coda tagged to this one!

"Leviathan" continues the "Higher Circles" set but once a pace is gained it's hard to stop, especially in jazzy territory - what about solo shining brigh followed by march? Witness a resemblance with UK in the time changes. And if to confirm your surmise, there's "Alaska", a very theatrical ballad given a too long though underdeveloped overture. The song's divided in two parts: "At Home With The Earth" lays on flat organ bedrock while "Snowfall" puts a blizzard dance close to that of Jobson's tune. After that, "Circus" might seem bleak yet at this point the overall feel is caught and a listener slips away on the flute-like synth bits and funky guitar which is capable to step back where needed to allow Gee jive at full throttle. Towards the end Nick's voice goes dramatic and "Kashmir"-like fragments seem very apt.

Gilmour-ish solo welcomes into "Oh Divineo" that isn't instrumental as it may seem but a plaintive song unfurling something massive in the vein of THE WHO's "See Me, Feel Me" yet it's just a preface to "The Black Night" deliberately held onto the very end for a greater impact that's done with its baroque feel in guitar plucking and development all too impressive. Instruments interlock, then loosen up and cumulate energy again. Here PENDRAGON identity gets proved brilliantly.

There are two bonus tracks provided for comparisons - off the aforementioned "Fly High Fall Far" EP - the title one and "Victims Of Life", the latter a nod to FLOYD's "Dark Side" and former enshrouded in too thick synth cloth. Once it was pulled out, the jewel began to shine.

****1/3