Exposé Online banner

Exposé Online

Not just outside the box, but denying the existence of boxes.
Covering music from the fringes since 1993.

Reviews

Glass — No Stranger to the Skies
(Musea FGBG 4516.AR, 1975/2004, CD)

by Jon Davis, Published 2002-04-01

No Stranger to the Skies Cover art The little town of Port Townsend, Washington has special significance to me – I have some very fond memories from there dating back to the 70s. So when I first heard about Glass, a progressive band from that town at that time, I was very interested. Would this be a long lost prog classic? The answer is yes and no. These recordings, dating from 1973 to 1978, show a band with much promise; given the right facilities and a sympathetic producer, they could have produced some excellent music. As it is, these tracks sound like really good demos for music that doesn’t really sound a whole lot like anyone else. The basic lineup is Greg Sherman on keyboards, Jeff Sherman on keyboards, bass and guitar, and either Jerry Cook or Paul Black on drums, depending on the session. The keyboards used consist of piano, electric piano, ARP 2600 synthesizer, and Mellotron. It’s really hard to pinpoint any specific influences, which is an amazing thing in itself. Parts are almost like a more symphonic Soft Machine, with interlocking electric piano parts, or ELP with a Mellotron. The second of the two discs has the more intriguing music on it, recorded live without an audience in a high school auditorium with amazing fidelity. The trio manages everything from quiet string passages to driving synth/drum workouts to timpani solos without apparent regard for the fashions of any time period. Fairly impressive for what it is, and downright amazing for what it could have been.

Filed under: Archives, Issue 24, 2004 releases, 1975 recordings

Related artist(s): Glass

 

What's new

These are the most recent changes made to artists, releases, and articles.