...SIŁA I PIĘKNO MUZYKI TKWIĄ W JEJ RÓŻNORODNOŚCI.



..::OPIS::..

Druga płyta jest bardziej hard rockowa, przypominająca dokonania Uriah Heep, ze szczyptą Procol Harum.



Paladin may only have ever released two albums, but their second "Charge" is an absolute classic of early 70's melodic prog. There are many different styles and sounds on the album, yet the whole is nothing less than a coherent masterpiece.

The Roger Dean sleeve may not be an absolute guarantee of quality, but Paladin sit well with their peers such as Yes, Uriah Heep, Asia, etc., whom Dean graced with his artwork.

There are four feature tracks on the album. The opening "Give me your hand" sets the tone, with rich organ and guitar backing a strong vocal for a fine piece of melodic hard rock. "Good lord" is a slightly softer but still upbeat song with some excellent guitar work by Derek Foley. It leads into the album's best track, the wonderfully atmospheric "Mix your mind with the moonbeams". The multi-tracked vocals and trippy lyrics are pure early 70's ("Let the cosmic light diffuse itself, in all its magic ways"). The track is awash in keyboard layers, and chiming guitars. This is PENDRAGON years before Pendragon existed! Also included is an all too rare Hammond organ solo, similar to the one on URIAH HEEP's "July Morning".

The closing track "Watching the world pass by" has it all in about 9 minutes. It starts with some interesting keyboard moods, before breaking into an almost funky harmonica led wall of sound. About midway, we suddenly lurch into a barn dance, before a superb guitar solo of some length brings the album to its climactic conclusion.

The album is rounded out by three shorter tracks. "Well we might" is an early Slade (yes Slade!) like rocker with some great guitar and some very effective stop go interludes. "Anyway" is a mellotron backed ballad which contrasts superbly with the generally upbeat nature of the album. This track appears to have been a late addition to the original LP, as it appears on a sticky label added to the track listing. "Get one together" is the only dip, being a pretty nondescript instrumental.

"Charge" is a truly superb album, very much of its time, but still highly enjoyable. The band were destined to split before recording any further albums, but at least they went out on a high.

Easy Livin



I think that I listened to this now very hard to find album for the first time in 1975-76. One of my brothers, who plays guitar, borrowed it for a time from one of his friends. He played it very much while playing his first electric guitar while he was learning how to play it. I remember that I really didn`t like this album very much at that time, but I liked a lot the cover art, done by Roger Dean. So, since then the more associated memory that I had from this album was the cover art.
Well, I think that, strictly speaking, this is not a full Prog Rock album, but it is good anyway. I found some influences from URIAH HEEP and DEEP PURPLE in their sound, with their mix of Hard Rock with some Prog Rock arrangements. There are also some influences from PROCOL HARUM in Pete Solley`s organ playing. It is really an album with eclectic sounds, very enjoyable, that sounds a bit dated, with a sound that I found very characterisitic of some other albums released in the early seventies.

"Give Me Your Hand" is a Hard Rock song with good guitars and organ, plus some Latin-Influenced percussion. "Well We Might" is mostly an Rock and Roll song played with good slide guitar. "Get On Together" is one of the most Prog Rock influenced songs, in a song composed by the band`s drummer, Keith Webb. "Anyway" also has Prog Rock influences, with very good orchestral arrangements. "Good Lord" is another good Hard Rock song. The last songs in this album, "Mix Your Mind with the Moonbeams" and "Watching the World Pass By" are very Prog Rock in arrangements, and are among the best in this album.

Pete Solley years later played with PROCOL HARUM, adding sytnhesizers to the organ`s sound of the band for their final album of the seventies, called "Something Magic", in 1977. He was the main songwriter in this PALADIN`s album, but all the other members of the band also contributed to some songs as songwriters. It is a shame that this band only recorded two albums and later split. All the members are very good musicians. The lead and backing vocals are also very good.

Guillermo



..::TRACK-LIST::..

1. Give Me Your Hand (6:41)
2. Well We Might (5:02)
3. Get One Together (2:35)
4. Anyway (4:14)
5. Good Lord (6:44)
6. Mix Your Mind with the Moonbeams (6:01)
7. Watching the World Pass By (9:25)

Bonus Track:
8. Sweet Sweet Music [single] (2:46)



..::OBSADA::..

Lou Stonebridge - vocals, electric piano, harmonica
Derek Foley - lead & slide guitars, vocals
Peter Solley - organ, grand piano, violin
Peter Beckett - bass, vocals
Keith Webb - drums, percussion




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrlHgPZLZWQ



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