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Progressive Rock CD Reviews

Anthony W. Rogers

One Day (a journal) (vinyl set)

Review by Gary Hill

"Unique" would be one way to describe this set. "Experimental" would be another. This album is unusual right from the start. For one thing, it's a two-record set, but the first record is a four-track 7 inch 33-rpm record that comprises sides one and two here. The disc continues to a 12 inch record for sides three and four. The strangeness doesn't end there, though.

I've included this under the progressive rock heading because of the experimental nature of the music more than anything else. This is often detuned, off-key and dissonant. Yet, it somehow manages to convey a certain pop or mainstream charm at the same time. It's oddly compelling. This is not for people who want their music with a real polished perfection, because you won't find that here. Instead, you get something that's incredibly strange, but also weirdly catchy and entertaining.


This review is available in book (paperback and hardcover) in Music Street Journal: 2019  Volume 2. More information and purchase links can be found at: garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2019.

Track by Track Review
Side 1
            
Mash

Piano opens this cut. The vocals bring in a playful kind of vibe. The tune has a weird twisted tone to it. This is like pop music warped into something bizarre. In that regard it makes me think of something Frank Zappa might have done. It literally gets twisted around and weirded out as it continues. There is definitely a lot of psychedelia built into this thing.

I'll Take the Blame
Coming in with a hard rocking texture, this has a lot of glam rock built into it. I can make out some Tom Petty and Rolling Stones, too. Further down the road it gains some space rock in the mix, as well. This also twists and tweaks toward the seriously weird end of the spectrum as it continues.
Side 2
               
Half the Picture

The musical arrangement here is not far removed from mainstream, but the vocals are just far enough off-key to lend a strangeness and unsettling vibe to the piece. The dense arrangement really feels twisted.

Big House on the Hill
The off-key kind of concept here brings more weirdness. There is a compelling element that transcends that unsettling vibe. This definitely makes me think of Neil Young, and it gets into some very psychedelic territory.
Side 3
                
Into the See

The psychedelic, de-tuned vibe on this thing works well. It has a real twisted Zappa meets space rock and lo-fi feeling to it.

Roman Candle
Heavily de-tuned and strange, this somehow manages to feel more mainstream than some of the rest here.
Fly Away
Lo-fi meets space rock and other forms of psychedelia on this trippy piece. It's a bit noisy, and the arrangement is dense. This is loaded with weirdness. Yet, in an odd way it's also a mainstream cut.
In the Water
I love the echoey, trippy kind of jam that starts this piece. It has a rather funky feeling to it.
Side 4

                      

Ploom Mfs

Pounding, driving hard rock through much of the track, this also drops back to quite stripped down territory at times. It is a strange, but very intriguing number. There is some definite jazz fusion built into this, but also elements of things like The Grateful Dead. We get some heavy funk, too.

Range Rover
Weird and psychedelic, this has some cool grooves. It's rather melodic and yet very trippy.
And When They Ask You
A mellower tune, this is another that has some hints of The Grateful Dead in the mix. I dig the piano on the number, and this is probably the most accessible thing here.
Mash (Reprise) / Cocks in the Field
As you can probably imagine, this brings us back into the opening number of the set. After that section this thing works out to the weirdest textures of the whole album. This has vocals that are twisted and sped up through studio tricks, freaky jamming and more.
 
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