FEATURED CD: Rare Bird - As Your Mind Flies By

**Trane** · 08-03-2016

Originally Posted by Trane

someday, I'm going to have to reassess at least this album.

I never got into it (the band in general), but maybe it will click some day.

Ok, I gave the first two another spin, and sampled their third , as well try out Fields another time... Still can't get into it much. Yeah, they've got good (sometimes excellent moments), but something's simply not clicking with me.

I mean, it SHOULD click, but it doesn't ... I suppose if I'd discovered this at the same time I did ITCOTCK or ITLOG&P or TAAB, it might've just "clicked" back then, but I didn't find out about them until the 90's

**Enid** · 08-03-2016

I heard an influence of CSN&Y and Family on the Epic Forest album. To be more specific about my reference to the band Family, Epic Forest was stylistically based on a certain period of Family's music which would be Fearless and Bandstand....but only to a degree. The harmony vocals on Epic Forest are sometimes reminiscent of CSN&Y ...but then again so are the vocal harmonies on the song "Dark Eyes" by Family from the album Bandstand. Rare Bird stand alone though and have originality of their own. As Your Mind Flies By was based on what Keith Emerson was doing with ELP and particularly noticeable on the title track itself. I never thought Rare Bird were a bunch of copy cats though. They were able to produce their own sound combined with certain styles produced by innovative bands of that time. If you pay strict attention to certain tracks on Family's Music In A Doll's House, you will hear a Peter Gabriel vocal style and a writing style that later turned up on Genesis "Trespass". Maybe to a degree..Rare Bird adapted certain elements relevant at the time just as Genesis did. It's a lot to consider, but it is evident that many bands were influenced by each other and only to a degree...which meant that an aspect of their composition was reminiscent of something else and not anything totally extreme.

**mogrooves** · 08-03-2016

Originally Posted by Enid

If you pay strict attention to certain tracks on Family's Music In A Doll's House, you will hear a Peter Gabriel vocal style and a writing style that later turned up on Genesis "Trespass".

I think the influence was in the other direction.

**Enid** · 08-03-2016

Originally Posted by mogrooves

I think the influence was in the other direction.

I'm not sure exactly what you mean, do you mean it was the opposite way around? My curiosity of this is based on Family releasing Music In A Doll's House in 1968 and Genesis not releasing anything till '69. Speculation has it that Genesis may have been influenced by Family. However...From Genesis to Revelation sounds nothing like Family to me and if this theory of Genesis being influenced by Family is true, evidence of it would not have surfaced until the release of Trespass. I also read that Family were touring for a while before Doll's House was even recorded. Some people in the past have concluded that members of Genesis may have seen Family perform live then and possibly were influenced by their style...which again did not make itself evident until Trespass. It's been an on going theory based on comparison with the two bands during the period between 1968 and 1969. However...on Family's later albums such as Fearless and Bandstand...Family sound like Genesis during the Nursery Cryme and Foxtrot period. It is very possible that Family could have borrowed the Genesis style/sound in the early 70's. But the opening track to Doll's house is very reminiscent of early Gabriel and the time signatures and chord voicings they wrote for that album in '68 seemed to surface through Genesis compositions in the early 70's. I think that's a little strange and have wondered for years if there was a definite influence. Family were very eclectic or as some people insist..."A band without direction". The song titled "Never Like This" written by Dave Mason has the similarities of an early David Bowie song, right down to the lead vocal style, the harmonies, and the progression..so they were all over the place...I truly don't know from all this observation, it's just a hunch. What do you think?

**Enid** · 08-03-2016

Originally Posted by JJ88

A few members of Genesis have gone on record as saying the band that made them question whether it was even worth carrying on was Rare Bird, as they were so impressed by Rare Bird's live performances.

I don't get why they became something of a footnote, really.

That's interesting! I did not know that. The only thing I hear is the essence of The Nice and ELP (Emerson) in Graham Field's playing. Rare Bird were unique to me

**Calabasas_Trafalgar** · 08-03-2016

Originally Posted by mogrooves

I think the influence was in the other direction.

Exactly. Gabriel had a Roger Chapman vocal style(although a weak imitation)

**Calabasas_Trafalgar** · 08-03-2016

Originally Posted by yoyiceu

Early Seventies Scottish band, formed by former Forever More and Arc as well as future Avergage White Band Musicians, had a very similar sound to late Rare Bird, at least in their very good first album.

I never connected the two, but you're right, they do have a similar sound. Other bands connected to Glencoe were Skip Bifferty, Five Day Rain, Loving Awareness, Greatest Show on Earth, and of course Ian Dury and the Blockheads.