FEATURED ALBUM: Gracious! - s/t

**Poisoned Youth** · 04-08-2013

Review from ProgArchives (Proghead)

All these years of being aware of GRACIOUS and the two albums they released in the early 1970s, it was only a matter of time before I snatched the 2-for-1 CD reissue deal that BGO Records released back in 1995, and I have not regretted it! This review here, of course, is for their first album. This band consisted of a bunch of former Catholic school boys who lived in the affluent stockbroker belt of Surrey (to the south of London, this was also the same county GENESIS resided in). The band had toured with KING CRIMSON, and their keyboardist Martin Kitcat was impressed enough with those guys that he bought himself a Mellotron as well. They signed up to Vertigo and released this incredible album in 1970 (the album also had an American release on Capitol Records, but with a totally cover). The rest of the band consited of vocalist Paul Davis (not the Paul Davis of "I Go Crazy Fame"), guitarist Alan Cowderoy, bassist Tim Wheatley, and drummer Robert Lipson.

This is an album that often received the Mellotron hype. Whatever you do, don't buy in to it, sure he uses is, but on only three cuts, "Heaven", and only a small amount on "Hell" and "Dreaming". The electric piano, piano, and harpsichord are the more dominant instrument. This is suprisingly complex music for 1970. The album opens with "Introduction", with some GENTLE GIANT-like vocal harmonies, but is actually the most straighforward piece on the album. I really like the guitar solo in the middle. "Heaven" features some great Mellotron work, and I like the acoustic part of the song, which is totally 1970, before you hear a chorus repeating "Do you have a clean mind?" over and over. "Hell" is far more like KING CRIMSON, far more sinister sounding piece. Also some ragtime and classical (specifiaclly OFFENBACH's "Can-Can") pops up, showing the band had a sense of humor. These three songs have religious themes (no surprise because of the band's Catholic school upbringings). "Fugue in 'D' Minor" is basically a classically-oriented piece on harpsichord and guitar. "Dreaming" is the longest piece and is incredible! It goes through several movements, with some great use of guitar and electric piano, as well as the occasional dreamy vocals I can't get enough of. The myth that seems to be is that this album is not too far off from the Moody Blues as far as complexity is concerned, you need to listen to this album, and that myth is actually myth. Essential album, in my book!

**mogrooves** · 04-08-2013

I prefer this is.... but any Prog collection striving for representativeness will include this one. A tad twee but otherwise very early 70s pretty pleasant Prog...

**strawberrybrick** · 04-08-2013

The vocals sound so like the 60s, perhaps why so many of these bands didn't really make it in the 70s....

**Septober Energy** · 04-08-2013

I can't help but wonder if I provoked this with my comments in the Cressida thread. Either way, I think this is an underrated classic. "The Dream" is classic and rolls in Beethoven, Beatles and Led Zeppelin references that I think are fun.

Wish I had this Vertigo classic on vinyl, but originals are way out of my price range.

**Septober Energy** · 04-08-2013

Originally Posted by strawberrybrick

The vocals sound so like the 60s, perhaps why so many of these bands didn't really make it in the 70s....

The vocals are indeed very '60s, but the compositions are full-fledged prog. I love how they both intersect. This is one of those few albums that that have a really magical mixture of flower power of the '60s and the prog adventurism of the '70s.

**Lopez** · 04-09-2013

I was hooked into the buying the 2-on-1 by the Mellotron myth, and was disappointed by hearing so little of it. However, on repeated listenings I began to appreciate it for what it is. A very good record of early prog.

**Watanabe** · 04-09-2013

A good album, but that simple unison riff they repeat for over a minute near the very end of the dream makes for one of the worst, most hamfisted efforts at an "epic orchestral" sort of climax i've ever heard from a prog band.

Kitcat was an interesting keyboard player.Not a lot of chops(though pefectly adequate for this kind of music) compared to many of his contemporaries, but he had quite a unique sound.

**yogibear** · 04-09-2013

killer album but with the other one "this is" it became a killer deal over all. i think i prefer the second one a bit more than this. it was a brit psych pop album so it had to appeal to the fans at the time . over all the dated vocals are rather quaint i like em enough .

**Calabasas_Trafalgar** · 04-10-2013

Originally Posted by strawberrybrick

The vocals sound so like the 60s, perhaps why so many of these bands didn't really make it in the 70s....

I doubt that he vocals are the reason for very many of these bands' lack of success - and certainly not this one. In most of the cases from this time period, one can chalk it up to lack of record company support(Vertigo was notorious for this, as were a number of other custom progressive rock "imprints", such as Harvest, Neon, Dandelion, Transatlantic, Sovereign etc) and bad/greedy/unscrupulous management. Virtually all of the groups that "made it" didn't suffer these ill. To place the blame on the vocals is extremely naive. The vocalist for Gracious, Paul "Sandy" Davis, was excellent, and had a nice solo career after the band broke up.