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: : Pendragon - Believe
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Band/Artist
Pendragon
Title:
Believe
Released
2005
Label
Pendragon Toff Records |
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Track
listing
1. Believe
2. No Place For The Innocent
3. The Wisdom Of Solomon
The Wishing Well
4. For your journey
5. So by sowest
6. We talked
7. Two roads
8. Learning Curve
9. The Edge Of The World |
: : The Players : :
Nick Barrett Vocals, Guitars | Peter Gee Bass | Fudge Smith Drums |
Clive Nolan Keyboards |
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: : Believe : :
I confess I’m a 100% Pendragon fan. I have
everything they have ever released and think it is all great, okay maybe
Kowtow from 1988 was less than stellar, but all the others are great,
okay?
Just the name “Pendragon” evokes in current prog fans a clear love/hate
kind of attitude. By that they are either loved or hated. I’m not sure
that I’ve ever met anyone who was indifferent to this band. They have
been called everything from brilliant to a rip off. They are
complimented with loyal fans and chastised by those that see them as
boring as watching paint dry. But to my ears just Nick’s singing guitar
style alone makes goose bumps pop up.
Well guess what? This new CD is not going to change anyone’s mind. While
slightly different in the opening all instrumental song “Believe” this
is clearly a very mature Pendragon release. Believe (the song) borrows
heavily from alternate musical forms and instruments. You have some
distinct middle eastern sounds, you have ethnic Hebrew chants, and then
Nick adds some really heavy screaming guitar with a talk box for some
interesting effects.
No Place for the Innocent is the CD’s first real song and clearly
Pendragon begin to shine on this tune. Here we have a song about being
taught that the world we live in is not the ACTUAL world we live in. The
“idea” is that the media and other forces are manipulating and rewriting
history to such a point that ultimately humankind is no more than slaves
to the rich elite.
This theme is carried through out the entire CD and shows its face again
in the multi-part The Wishing Well.
The song “Wisdom of Solomon” is about our world becoming so politically
correct. The point being that you over compensate so much for some one
who might be offended in some minority you actually alienate that group
of people.
Musically this is a Pendragon CD, but there is more “space” between and
in songs. Space that is filled with floating musical sounds and Nick
Barrett’s spoken word parts.
This CD is very deep on so many
levels but musically it remains at the top of the Pendragon heap. Maybe
I just cannot hear anything bad in the works of Nick Barrett and crew or
maybe, just maybe there actually is nothing wrong in their music.
As in the past, Nick Barrett writes all the music and lyrics. I asked
him about that one year when Pendragon played Baja Prog and his answer
was that if Clive or someone else wrote songs they would most definitely
not sound like a Pendragon song, thus Nick insists that he control the
music and lyric writing. You’ll get no complaints from me.
Rating: 9.5 of 10
Reviewed By: Stephen Ellis
: : Visit the Artist’s Website : :
: : Discography : :
Fly High Fall Far ep - 1984
The Jewel - 1985
9:15 Live - 1986
Kowtow - 1989
The R(B)est Of Pendragon - 1991 incl. Fly High... ep
The World - 1991
The Very, Very Bootleg - Live In Lille, France 1992 - 1993
The Window Of Life - 1993
Fallen Dreams and Angels ep - 1994
Utrecht... The Final Frontier - 1995
The Masquerade Overture - 1996
As Good As Gold ep - 1996
Live... At Last! (vid) - 1997
Live In Kraków 96 - 1997
The Masquerade Overture - 1999 digi-pack w/bonus trk
Once Upon A Time In England Vol 1 - 1999
Once Upon A Time In England Vol 2 - 1999
The Round Table - 1985-1998 - 1999 Sth Am. mkt
The History: 1984-2000 - 2000 Polish mkt
Not Of This World - 2001
Acoustically Challenged - 2002
The Jewel (remastered) (2005)
Believe - 2005 |
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