 | This twofer couples the first and third LP's from one of progressive rock's lost bands. Their first couple of albums were on ABC in the US, and later releases were Polydor. Their sound was a little operatic, often organ dominated, and inconsistently creative. Sometimes juvenile, sometimes quite sophisticated, Rare Bird were not like their peers. Because of this, they would languish in relative obscurity, never developing a following outside the UK. They just didn't fit. For me, that was part of their charm. Like the Nice, they leaned on classical structures, but unlike the nice, they mixed in pop and pomp, and did so with virtually all original material. Interestingly enough for me, these two LP's were always my faves, so finding this package was quite a treat. As a bonus, "Somebody's Watching" includes a very cool extended jam based on Enio Morricone's main score from For A Few Dollars More. |