What was once called Neo-Progressive rock is now nestling into a more accessible high-tech soft rock that has the potential to reach a wider audience willing to wrap its ears around the pretty melodies and precise musicianship. Filmed on the last night of the ‘Less is More’ acoustic tour in December 2009 at London’s Cadogan Hall, Eagle Records double CD of the audio.
This is the Hogarth/Rothery/Trewavas version of the band – vocalist Steve Hogarth, guitarist Steve Rothery, keyboardist Mark Kelly, bassist Pete Trewavas and drummer Ian Mosley. It’s a sweet and dreamy display, elements of Yes meets Pink Floyd with “The Answering Machine” towards the end of disc 2 sounding like a slowed down Jethro Tull lost track. “Out Of This World” on disc one is an epic which you can find people having fun with on YouTube (the studio track on YouTube, a terrific live version on this new outing); “Three Minute Boy” is over eight and a half minutes and would be a wonderful cover for David Bowie to toy with…Hogarth uses his best Bowie inflections from the Hunky Dory period on this…something other singers should emulate.
“Easter” is not the Patti Smith title album track, this five minute track is a full minute and fifteen shorter than Smith’s epic/paean/memory…the lilting guitar melding nicely with the elegant piano, the keyboards being the dominant instrument throughout this superb double disc. RadioParadise.com should have a ball with it and, as stated above, if positioned correctly, could find a home on Triple A radio and new fans for this persistent and pleasurable journey.
Joe Viglione is the Chief Film Critic at TMRZoo.com. He was a film critic for Al Aronowitz’s The Blacklisted Journal, has written thousands of reviews and biographies for AllMovie.com, Allmusic.com and produces and hosts Visual Radio. Visual Radio is a fifteen year old variety show on cable TV which has interviewed John Lennon’s Uncle Charlie, Margaret Cho, Ray Manzarek, John Densmore, Felix Cavaliere, Marty Balin, Bill Press and hundreds of other personalities.
