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Gracious - this is.... Gracious! (1971)

Track listing:
  1. Super Nova, Arrival of The Traveller 4:06
  2. Super Nova, Blood Red Sun 6:36
  3. Super Nova, Say Goodbye to Love 3:26
  4. Super Nova, Prepare to Meet Thy Maker 7:32
  5. CBS 7:06
  6. What's Come to Be 3:33
  7. Blue Skies and Alibis 4:58
  8. Hold Me Down 5:04

Notes

Japanese 40-Bit Remaster

This time around, the band recorded a bit more song-oriented album, in the hope of selling a few more copies. This album got released on Philips since Vertigo rejected it. The album opens up with the incredible side-length "Super Nova". It's a four movement piece (supposed to be a five movement suite, but one of them had go on side two because it couldn't all fit on the original LP). The Mellotron hype here is totally justified as it's used on each and every cut! You'll find the whole album tends to stick more to music, rather than KING CRIMSON-like experimentations like on their debut. Yes, it's bit different from their debut, and definately more accessible, but I have a real difficult time determining which one is their better album, as their both great and essential classic prog albums, as far as I'm concerned.

This album is kind of a mixed bag, sometimes sounding like King Crimson, sometimes like the Moody Blues, sometimes like a blues-rock band. Gracious! did some of these things well, some not. Singer Paul Davis had a histrionic style with takes some getting used to. He reminds me of the singer of Rare Bird. The album's epic, Super Nova, was undoubtedly influenced by 21st Century Schzoid Man, but it is a pale copy. The treated vocals are too close for comfort, and the staccato mellotron sounds are jarring. Not a bad track, just a little derivative, and not half as menacing as it wants to be. The highlight of the album is On a Windy Day, a sweeping harmony and mellotron-laced ballad that would make BJH proud. Gracious! did pretty a lot better than they did scary. The other three songs are more groovy, especially the last track, which features some great droning riffs and a funky beat. There is a ton of mellotron on the album, which is a good thing, although there is more organesque lead playing, rather than sustained chords of string-mellotron. This is definitely B grade English prog, but still an album worth having if you can find it reasonably-priced, and better than the debut record. (Review from different sources)