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Thread: FEATURED CD - Pendragon : The World

  1. #1
    Moderator Duncan Glenday's Avatar
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    FEATURED CD - Pendragon : The World



    Per DPRP:
    After a few years of inactivity Pendragon released this MASTERPIECE ! The World is also a return to longer, more progressive songs.

    From the beginning, Back In The Spotlight, a very Pink Floyd a-like song but you can hear the almost typical Pendragon sound, till the end, the very atmospheric song And We'll Go hunting Deer this is a great album and almost a standard for Progressive Music ! But what's in between ?? The 12-minute epic The Voyager is a very good song with steel guitars opening, afterwards this song turns in what has to be one of Pendragon's best songs ever ! Shane sounds very much like Pink Floyd (the band didn't deny that by the way) and together with Prayer this is the prelude to the 20-minute song Queen Of Hearts which is divided in three parts. Part 1, Queen Of Hearts, is the more balladish opener of this epic and turns into Part 2, .. A Man Could Die Out Here .. which has the greatest instrumental Pendragon break ever ! Part 3, The Last Waltz, is the more sing-along part of this song.
    Nick Barrett did a great with the lyrics for this album (he even recalled the place where the songs were written !) and because the production by Tony Taverner is very good this has to be the Pendragon classic album !

    Like I said before: this is classical Pendragon ! If you have never heard Pendragon before this is a great album to start with !
    http://www.dprp.net/reviews/pendragon/#world



    Regards,

    Duncan

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    A good, but not great Pendragon album to my ears. The album has some great moments, but there are other parts of it that almost sound “prog by numbers” and at times come pretty close to blatantly copying other artist’s previous work. I like some of the albums the band did later much better than this one, but as mentioned before there are parts of this one I really like too.

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    Member Jack in Wilmington's Avatar
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    I would say more Marillion like, than Pink Floyd to my ears. I'll have to see if it grows on me.

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    Member sergio's Avatar
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    That's the one when Pendragon actually started as we know them today. Long melodic guitar solos, bigger drums, not as big as Scott's tho, but FS was very capable too. That long epic formula was then recycled on a lot of other Pendragon albums to great success: Window, Overture, Not of This... But again The World was the starting point. Havent listened to it in a long while, but will revisit shortly.

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    Member Paulrus's Avatar
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    This is their "Misplaced Childhood"... the album older fans hold up as the high water mark but others (myself included) don't think has aged that well. Their newer stuff is more interesting IMO.
    I'm holding out for the Wilson-mixed 5.1 super-duper walletbuster special anniversary extra adjectives edition.

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    Member dropforge's Avatar
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    "Masterpiece"? Both The Jewel and The Window of Life blow this one away.

  7. #7
    For me, it's just the finest neoprog album ever released. From the melodical standpoint, I rate this masterpiece even higher than my other all-time faves: Misplaced Childhood and Subterranea.

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    Highly Evolved Orangutan JKL2000's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by dropforge View Post
    "Masterpiece"? Both The Jewel and The Window of Life blow this one away.
    I put it right up there with Window of Life. A great album, IMO, and I agree with the review that this was the first real Pendragon album.

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    unicorns?
    dramatic sunsets?
    faux-neuschwansteins shrouded in fog?
    mermaids?
    dolphins?
    a top-hat?
    two planets in one frame?
    veil-like waterfalls?
    a hand of cards?
    ovation adamas cutaway?

    check. it's prog.

    PS: the “a man could die out here” section is quite good.

  10. #10
    Studmuffin Scott Bails's Avatar
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    I've never checked Pendragon out - the "Fish-era Marillion imitator" label always scared me off. Seems like this one might be a nice place to start.

    But wow, that is one awful album cover. A unicorn?? Really??
    Music isn't about chops, or even about talent - it's about sound and the way that sound communicates to people. Mike Keneally

  11. #11
    This was the album that re-invented my interest in prog! I rate Window of Life just slightly higher!

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    Moderator Duncan Glenday's Avatar
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    What I found interesting about this album, and one of the reasons it's featured, is that a LOT of dyed-in-the-wool avant prog / RIO / etc. fans acknowledge this as one of the few neo-prog albums that they actually like.
    Regards,

    Duncan

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    Progstreaming-webmaster Sunhillow's Avatar
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    Gosh, how I love this album. It's in my veins, every single note of it. It defines Markwin.

    One highlight I like to point out. The slow and tedious, yet beautiful and evergrowing musical interlude within 'The Voyage' starting around 6:00 minutes in, and then finally giving the relief with that amazing drumpattern at exactly 8:52, after which Barrett gives a soaring guitar-solo, one of his many best.

  14. #14
    Member sergio's Avatar
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    Barrett is da master in creating melodies. Almost unparalleled... and with a great riff going on as well. IMHO this melodic approach reached its pinnacle on Masquerade, however Window was equally good. That said, his best ever ever is Edge of the World from Believe.

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    Member bill g's Avatar
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    Not a big fan of most 'neo-prog', but I rather like Pendragon, at least through 'Not of This World'. I personally prefer Pendragon to Marillion and perhaps IQ as well. Always melodic and enjoyable, but I don't listen much due to the lack of variation and the general neoness. That way, when I actually do listen it sounds really good.

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    Highly Evolved Orangutan JKL2000's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Scott Bails View Post
    I've never checked Pendragon out - the "Fish-era Marillion imitator" label always scared me off. Seems like this one might be a nice place to start.

    But wow, that is one awful album cover. A unicorn?? Really??
    I like the mermaid coming out of the girl's ass.

  17. #17
    Highly Evolved Orangutan JKL2000's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sunhillow View Post
    Gosh, how I love this album. It's in my veins, every single note of it. It defines Markwin.

    One highlight I like to point out. The slow and tedious, yet beautiful and evergrowing musical interlude within 'The Voyage' starting around 6:00 minutes in, and then finally giving the relief with that amazing drumpattern at exactly 8:52, after which Barrett gives a soaring guitar-solo, one of his many best.
    It's a known fact that Dutch people can't resist this album.

  18. #18
    I owned possibly this one, or maybe it was The Jewel, for about a day. I had actually purchased a copy of Warrior on the Edge of Time by Hawkwind, but it was a mis-press, containing a Pendragon album instead.

    I also saw them live in 1995. They were execrable. I didn’t even make it to the end of their set.
    Confirmed Bachelors: the dramedy hit of 1883...

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    Member Digital_Man's Avatar
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    [I also saw them live in 1995. They were execrable. I didn’t even make it to the end of their set. ]

    Well I saw them live in 2007 at Rosfest and they were truly great. I wasn't even familiar with their material and yet thoroughly enjoyed them. So either they improved dramatically over the course of those 12 years or you just don't know good music when you hear it.

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    Member thedunno's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by JKL2000 View Post
    It's a known fact that Dutch people can't resist this album.
    Er? Me thinks it sucks. I really liked the Jewel and Fly high fall far when they came out but they complete lost me with this album.

    I blame Clive Nolan. In fact I blame him for everything that is bad in progressive rock. He even managed to make Geof Mann sound bad. I have a strong Clive Nolan allergy.

  21. #21
    Highly Evolved Orangutan JKL2000's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by thedunno View Post
    Er? Me thinks it sucks. I really liked the Jewel and Fly high fall far when they came out but they complete lost me with this album.

    I blame Clive Nolan. In fact I blame him for everything that is bad in progressive rock. He even managed to make Geof Mann sound bad. I have a strong Clive Nolan allergy.
    I think it's better than those two.

  22. #22
    Quote Originally Posted by Scott Bails View Post
    I've never checked Pendragon out - the "Fish-era Marillion imitator" label always scared me off. Seems like this one might be a nice place to start.

    But wow, that is one awful album cover. A unicorn?? Really??
    That cover is keeping me from exploring them.

  23. #23
    Quote Originally Posted by Rarebird View Post
    That cover is keeping me from exploring them.
    It seems that the Dutch fans are cranks.

    In my opinion, Simon Williams made a fantastic job with The World. Definitely, one of the most beautiful front covers I've ever seen in prog genre for the last 25 years. And I love every picture which Simon brought to Pendragon's history (incl. 1991 - 2001 period).

  24. #24
    Studmuffin Scott Bails's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Guess Who View Post
    It seems that the Dutch fans are cranks.

    In my opinion, Simon Williams made a fantastic job with The World. Definitely, one of the most beautiful front covers I've ever seen in prog genre for the last 25 years.
    Oh, come on. That looks like something that would have been on a 12-year-old girl's bedroom wall in the 80s.

    May as well have had a velvet Elvis as the cover.
    Music isn't about chops, or even about talent - it's about sound and the way that sound communicates to people. Mike Keneally

  25. #25
    Member thedunno's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by JKL2000 View Post
    I think it's better than those two.
    No no no. The jewel and fly high fall far do not have Clive Nolan so they are per default better albums.

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