At risk of repeating: This was considered a SUPERgroup! because obviously Bill Bruford (YES, King Crimson, Bruford solo), John Wetton (King Crimson), Eddie Jobson (Curved Air, Frank Zappa), Alan Holdsworth (Soft Machine, Bill Bruford Group). I saw them in a small club. This is the perfect blend of of Prog, Jazz Fusion and Rock.
Taking the musicianship to the next logical level, you must listen to Bill Bruford's "Feels Good To Me" solo album and "One of a Kind" by the Bruford band (a group album). Both classic fusion albums feature the genius guitarist Allan Holdsworth who was something of a guitar god for Steve Vai and Joe Satriani. Even Frank Zappa, John Mclaughlin and Pet Metheny have cited Holdsworth's greatness - they couldn't figure out exactly what he did, so unique was his approach to harmony and guitar soloing.
Agreed as to both of the Bruford albums. Released at almost the same time as U.K., the three albums together represent another peak in Bruford's prog-drummer phase, and quite frankly the compositions on the two Bruford records (mostly all from Bruford himself) are really strong.
If I remember correctly did not Holdsworth play guitar on one of his solo efforts. Brufords style of drumming is so subtle in its intricate tempo changes. The only drummer I think that is superior to him is Peart. Being Canadian I am a little prejudiced towards Peart. Peart could never play like Bruford,and vice versa.
@@mikescriber1777 Bruford's first Album "Feels Good To Me" was officially a solo effort with judiciously handpicked musicians. The follow-up album "One of a Kind" was truly a band compositions effort under the moniker of just "Bruford". Both albums featured Holdsworth on guitar, Dave Stewart (kybds) and Jeff Berlin (bass). The 2nd Bruford band album ("Gradually Going Tornado") featured a guitarist billed as The Unknown John Clarke as AH had decided to split and recommended one of his guitar students as a replacement. All three albums are superb. A 3rd Bruford album (recently released as part of a remixed boxed set) reached only demos stage.
@@MissMX Thank you for this. I had completely forgot about Tornado, and I even have that too. None of this would make Top 40 Stations. Most of that is useless fluff. But if you put on U.K., or any music from Bruford you are listening to a genre of music that is comparable to Mozart in classical music. Again thank you to a kindred spirit.
This album is in my top 5 albums of all time. Not too many musicians can boast such an amazing debut album. I remember when it came out the radio host said it would be impossible for this great group of musicians to stay together. Way too much talent. This band morphed into Wetton, Jobson and Bozzio. As a trio they were also very good, however not anywhere near this level of perfection. I never get tired of this album. Thanks for posting.
Well Jim...it's done... This is my favourite album ever. Everyone in the band is at their best imo. But it's bruford drumming...I can honestly say following bill brufords career..this is easily his best kit sound...the pish of the cymbals...the tightness in his playing...omg....it still gets me every time...there is a hard to get box set from the band with a disc of the album included which is pretty much drums guitar keys and bass..with no overdubs....and it gets played with regularity.... As you may know there was a line up change after this and...a second album called dangermoney.....also superb...but no guitar. .with jobson handling guitar parts on violin.. And a live album before they broke up.....nevermore is probably the highpoint..and lead me to Alan holdsworth.
@@scherado01 Not that I know of in this era. In ‘73/‘74 they did have a Linn (I think) drum machine that they would use in improvs, but I’m not aware of Bill using it or any electronic drums in UK, solo, or Bruford. Basically not until the Simmons drums used on Discipline.
That bit you said is "almost ELP-like, or Gentle Giant" is actually more of a Zappa thing. And it shouldn't be surprising, as Eddie Jobson has just left Zappa's band prior to recording this.
Hey Jim Glad you got round to this gem of an album. Some top playing from top musicians - what’s not to like? In his excellent and highly readable autobiography, Mr Bruford had this to say about Allan Holdsworth on this album: “Allan delivered a knock-out blow in the first cut, ‘In the Dead of Night’. 94 seconds of liquid passion married to a blinding technical facility that was to go down in the annals of rock guitar history. All the hallmarks of his brilliant playing were there in this solo: poise, pace, melody, the Slonimsky interval-jumps, the whammy-bar, and all over a killer groove. You could hear the reaction across the water in the USA from Eddie Van Halen, John McLaughlin, Al Di Meola, and all the other great guitar players of the day.” Holdsworth also featured on Bill Bruford’s first couple of pure fusion albums under the band name Bruford: Feels Good to Me, and the excellent One of a Kind. Well worth checking out if you can find the time.
Now you are right in my HS prog rock groove. I was privileged to see UK at the Cow Palace in San Francisco back in the early 1980s. Now imagine this, UK was the opening band. Jethro Tull was the main attraction!
Hi Jim , just a prog / fusion classic & one of my all time favorites ! I was lucky enough to see the original band twice when the album can out .They were just phenomenal, i also saw the band for their 2nd album Danger money which was down to a trio when Bruford & Holdsworth left the band but it's still s very good album ,with Terry Bozzio on drums he's excellent also . The 2nd time i saw the original band they actually played some things from the 2nd album they were working on but never recorded . I also recommend Bill Brufords 1st two solo albums" Feels good to me " & " One of a kind " similar to this album be more fusion .I saw Bill Bruford live for the "One of a kind album in a small club his drumming 🥁 blew me away still one of my all time favorite drummers . On side 2 of UK is one of my favorite tracks "Nevermore " see what you think .
Looking forward to listening to this along with you, Jim. I have an acoustic neuroma and am going through a period of high distortion and tinnitus at the moment. Once it has settled again I’ll join you. Listening along with someone like yourself (who loves music) gives me a chance to re-experience the sheer magic in a shared way. Thank you.
Great Album ! I was lucky enough to see UK in concert in 1979 when they were the opening act for Jethro Tull. That tour led to Eddie Jobson becoming a guest member of Jethro Tull for their A album and tour in 1980. Jobson’s influence on that album and tour was huge. I’m not recommending the A album but still waiting on Minstrel in the Gallery.
I love Tull’s ‘A’ album!! Thought it was a perfect shift after Burstin Out! Though at first i was saddened that Barrymore Barlow wasn’t JT drummer anymore, oh well, Duane Perry was/is an excellent drummer too✌🏼😎
An outstanding album. The Zappa connection is strong on this one. Eddie Jobson was a Zappa alumni, and Frank regularly named Allan Holdsworth as his favourite guitar player.
Your into it now Jim. This is a wonderful album. Bill just knocks it out of the park with the percussives. Bill's drumming is so unique. I followed him to Crimson and for me it's Yes then Crimson and it goes on from there.
That debut album by U.K. is still a favorite after all these years. There has never been another album like it. Not even U.K. could duplicate it. As you said, it's not Yes, ELP, King Crimson, etc., yet it's as if all those influences were stirred into a single expression, a savory musical gumbo never tasted before or since. Too flowery? OK, the album kicks ass! I will say this, the album came along when Progressive Rock was being ushered out the door. It was the last dying breath of an era that refused to go quietly into the night. It wasn't long after this album that everything changed. Wetton's next band was the "super group" Asia, with Steve Howe (Yes), Carl Palmer (ELP), and Geoff Downes (Yes [Drama]). After U.K. (and hearing of this new lineup) my expectations could not have been higher, only to be dashed by their obvious play for "hit material." Asia's debut wasn't a bad album, but on the invention and creativity bell curves it was parsecs away from U.K. U.K. is definitely in my top 5 favorite albums of all time. It's perfect (every track succeeds). There are more goosebump-inducing harmonies per side than most bands produce in a career. It's thick, sultry, sexy. It's the stuff of life.
I might put Khan 'Space Shanty' up the list with UK. (Khan also featured a preeminent guitarist, pre-Gong Steve Hillage, and Canterbury prog keyboardist extraordinaire, Dave Stewart ... love everything Stewart ever touched, and that includes a lot of music.) I wore out both of these LPs before 1980 erupted ... countless hours of musical bliss.
You picking all the good ones Jim, Ihad this since the day it came out, some great video's on YT, with a great Marco Minneman on drums. Maybe you should try Spartacus by Triumvirat, about same time.
The last great iconic Prog album of the 70's!!!! Such a shame that this line-up only lasted this one album (Wetton's desire for the pop group that he would get with Asia is what killed it). This album was a lot of people's introduction to Holdsworth, and he blew people's minds. On the synth front, that's the sound of the legendary Yamaha CS-80, considered one of the greatest analog synths ever. Vangelis made the CS-80 famous through soundtracks like "Chariots of Fire" and "Blade Runner".
This is a great album, to be certain...but I wouldn't dismiss their follow up, Danger Money. Leaning more toward the pop end of the spectrum but with plenty of quirkiness still. That was actually my introduction to U.K. and I love the album to this day. Of course, they lost Holdsworth and Bruford (which definitely sucked) but while Terri Bozzio is no Bill Bruford he's incredibly fast and precise and incorporates some of the tastiest cymbal work I've ever heard.
@@stephanevilleneuve9450 For sure. Even though it was used by a number of people, I don't think many exploited its full potential. Maybe only Vangelis did that.
That kind of music is just very fun to listen to. And super interesting Drum sound. Sounds like they tuned everything quite high, some toms even sound like they have no reso-head at all. The Snare is like...suuuuper dry but high pitched, sounds like a resonating piece of wood actually. But i also like the cymbals alot
@@jimhardiman3836 ha yeah i know. But his Reso Toms 1 and 2 sound like that too. I wasnt referring to the rotos :D but good ear for noticing there are some involved
@@jimhardiman3836 ah sorry. Its just a normal tom. I kinda just automatically translated that into english out of habit. Im german and Sound engineers for some reason call it out as "resonanz tom 1, 2, 3 and so on" during sound checks. It just means resonant tom and i actually have no idea why thats a thing but i got used to it. Just an overcomplicated word for a normal tom.
Very strange but while listening to the first song, I thought about Rocky ost...nevermind, this is pretty good, awesome musicianship, Alan Holdsworth's work is delightful as always. The sound is slick, and I don't mind the very 80's synths. 20:03 is great
I had that. And that initial riff is catchy alright. It goes through my head on an almost weekly basic, and I haven't heard it in decades. Bum. Bum. Bum. Bumbum. Bumbum. Bum. Bum. Thanks for the walk. Gustav. Betty gustav! Quelle provenance! Be at peace, friend. Peace through music.
Bought this on vinyl back in the 70s, based purely on the cover and that Bill Bruford was playing on it (knew him from Close to the Edge and Fragile). Couldn't get my friends into it much, but played it on my own every now and then. An underrated gem in my view.
So glad you jumped on U.K. straight on. Your comments about the bits and pieces from other bands is what made Prog my favorite music for many, many years. Looking forward to side 2.
Good choice this is a timeless fantastic album. Sad with a couple of them passing away recently. I felt then as today how wonderful the sound quality and fusion elements brought into the compositions. All these guys were bouncing around between so many wonderful bands at the time pulling in all those great influences. I will give one… Allan Holdsworth with John Luc Ponte on Enigmatic oceans.
Far from my favorite prog band but it's a real good album and excellent musicians. Well, while relistening it after a long time: it's really good. Wetton is a perfect voice and perfect bass player. And I don't talk about the guitar, such a unique sound. Listen to the song In the Mystery, from Holdsworth.
What a great voice John Wetton had. RIP. I love the very overt nod to the album Larks Tongue in Aspic in the middle of By the Light of Day. Wow, I had forgotten what a superb album this is which I owned at one time and haven't heard for ages. I love your vinyl reviews Jim. They are so much better than most other reactors.
A classic that had one eye on quality pop and one eye on technically proficient prog. Hell of a lineup though. The most skillful and yet under-appreciated guitarist working at that time, for my money the best voice in prog and he plays a fairly crucial bass as well, Eddie Jobson, the Thomas Dolby of his generation, and Mr. William Bruford esquire, bar none my favourite drummer in any form of music, a man who introduced the previously exclusive to jazz idea that a drummer might actually use his brain rather than just his muscles. Not a bad song, not a bad performance and not a bad album. Hell of a legacy.
Wow! Love your channel. UK was such a great band! RIP John Wetton(great voice and bass player) and Alan Holdsworth(master guitarist). Eddie Jobson(keys and violin) played with Roxy Music, very briefly with Frank Zappa and with Jethro Tull for years 80-81 I think. And Bill Buford(drums), what can you say, original Yes, King Crimson, Genesis, Brand X...etc. The 70's was such a great time period for prog and fusion music. I am so glad I was in my teens and got to be exposed to all this!!!!
I was waiting for someone to mention Roxy Music, that's the only way I heard of Jobson. I think the album "Stranded" is good for a reaction by Mr. Newstead.
Exactly Jim! In fact, Gavin Harrison has replaced Bill Bruford in the new King Crimson line-up. Bill Bruford is my favorite drummer, his touch and approach are truly unique !!
Such a great album. In the Dead Of Night has one of the greatest bass riffs ever and Holdsworth's guitar solo in that song has to be one of his best too.I bought the LP when it came out in 1978 and I still listen to it.
I heard this on Alan Freeman's Saturday show when it came out. On Monday, I bought the album. I still listen to it regularly. It is feckin' brilliant. There is a great live album featuring Holdsworth, a great live album without Holdsworth, and the second album, Danger Money, which is ... great. Pretty sure you'll like side 2, even though the best track is the first one. I haven't seen you lost for words before. Maybe I wasn't paying attention.
@@JimNewstead it was the show to listen to for new rock music. He also played "Wish You Were Here" in its entirety. And he was mad for ELP, though I was not.
Interesting album. One can hear how some of this carried over via Eddie Jobson to Tull's devisive 1980 album 'A'. Strangely enough, I've heard snippets of this album before, but was never really taken in. As a whole now, this first side was pretty excellent 😃
If you liked this Bruford's "Feels Good to Me" is a must! Tighter! Bruford & Holdsworth plus bassist Jeff Berlin; Egg keyboardist Dave Stewart (not the other one) and add in vocalist Annette Peacock and Kenny Wheeler on flugelhorn. And then check out Tony Williams Lifetime "Believe It" album - both some of Holdsworth's best work!
I bought reach the uncommon chord and tried to play some Holdsworth but it's impossible. Saw him gig twice once at Huddersfield and he was not so good in the first half. He went for a few pints and came back and ripped the place apart. That's a Yorkshireman for you.
The CS-80 had one of the best synth sounds, but it cost an arm and a leg back in the day. IIRC it had 16 voices, meaning you could play 16 keys at the same time (maybe with your toes?), but you could also split the voices into groups of 8, 4, 2, and 1 key. That 'Fat' sound was made possible because you could split the 16 voices (by slightly detuning some of them) to get that sound. Jobson has an album called "The Green Album" which shows off the CS-80 along with his violin genius. I.O.U. by Holdsworth is an incredible album that you definitely need to listen to. I never though Wetton was better than on this album. His stuff with Asia is awesome, but this is his finest, IMHO. Bruford, well he is just one of the best drummer/percussionists ever. Got to see him play with King Crimson, twice, in the 80's. Just an awesome musician.
@@paulquinn7980 He always sounds like Greg lake or vice versa. They were in the same groups at different times with same sound. They are the classic sound of prog.
Oh yeah, this album stayed on my turntable for a long damn time. Alan Holdsworth on guitar played some of his more beautiful solos, and that damn tone of his, sigh. You should hit the Bruford solo albums too. Yeah, I'd call this fusion, mainly between rock and jazz. Such a good album. RIP Alan.
I'm sure this will get lost into the other comments most 2 years and older, not hard to tell that was a. Holdsworth before I saw the name. Excelente, now going to check out the suggested albums with anticipation😮
If you want to hear a very unique and interesting album after going through U.K., Jim, see if you can find a copy of Eddie Jobson's 1983 solo album "Eddie Jobson/Zinc," sometimes called "The Green Album." As an ardent U.K. fan, I bought it the day it came out, and was obsessed with it for a couple years, along with my Rush/U.K.-loving drummer. It's by no means perfect-getting the kind of textural variety like Eddie did out of a Yamaha CS-80 often involves invoking the low and hi-pass filters simultaneously, resulting in bandpass-a rather thin, upper-midrangey sound, and the rest of the '80s production wasn't helping much. That said, there's a lot to love there, in the writing and performances. Oh, and also, Gary Green from Gentle Giant plays on a few tracks. Fun note (npi): Eddie included an address for correspondence in the liner notes, so I posted a request for a personalized autograph, and got one back, on dorky, '80s piano-keyboard stationery. I was going through my old things at my parent's house just last year and found it in the frame I'd put it in way back when, which made me smile.
I just picked up the CD version that I was looking for decades! At a fave record store around Dec. of 2021 :). I've had Zinc on Lp since, around 1985. "Transporter/Resident" is a favorite, great way to open-up the album.
After this album UK became a three piece as Holdsworth and Brufiord were jazzers and Wetton and Jobson wanted to play tunes over again without noodling. As Noodler's go Holdsworth is one of the best. Check out his solo tracks such as on Metal Fatigue and IOU.
One of the greatest prog albums of all time. Parts of this album are absolutely sublime. I know it was a year ago but I'm glad you finally got to hear this masterpiece. Believe me it gets even richer as the years go by. By the way, sounds like you need to be listening to more Allan Holdsworth. Judging from this reaction, I don't think it has quite sunken in as to what you actually heard. It was the same with me when I first heard Holdsworth. My ears weren't mature enough to notice the depth of the greatness! Again, with time, the richness unfolds!
Sadly King Crimson videos are impossible due to Robert Fripp’s draconian approach to copyright and his history of having UA-camr’s accounts deleted. I’m not going to risk everything for a couple of videos. He doesn’t want more people to hear his music? Fair enough with me.
@@JimNewstead True, I understand. Robert Fripp is a truly eccentric artist! A real shame, because for me King Crimson is the greatest band in the history of Rock! My point of view, of course! 😁
I heard of UK pre internet days but never seen or have the heard them, they got zero radio play even in NYC. So my introduction to John Wetton was very late, I only knew of him from Asia. 😟
Jim: You might've said you were 'listening to 'UK' by UK, in the UK'. If I were in the UK, I'd lend you my Khan 'Space Shanty', which I think you'd love. A super-group from 1972, featureing pre-Gong Steve Hillage, Canterbury keyboard great Dave Stewart (not the Eurythmics bloke; this Dave was in Egg, National Health, Hatfield and the North, and Bill Bruford's post-UK work). I can't understate the greatness of Khan's only album.
Hi Jim. I wasn't expecting you to react to U.K. so quickly. So glad you did, so let me tell you my thoughts, along with the little that I know about U.K.. The only reason I bought this album when it came out was because my brother was in a rock band at the time and they were all raving about Allan Holdsworth. Had it not been for them, I might never have heard this album. I couldn't understand why it didn't get any radio play, at least where I lived in Chicago it didn't. Rolling Stone ranked this album as the 30th best Progressive Rock album of all time. I think they're nuts. This easily makes my top 10, but I LOVE what Ty Tabor of Kings X said about it. From Wikipedia: He selected the album as his top pick in a "5 Essential Guitar Albums" list, stating, "I had never heard anybody think about playing guitar the way that [Holdsworth] plays on that record." Eddie Van Halen said that Allan Holdsworth was the greatest guitar player he ever saw, but my favorite quote is from Bill Bruford. From an article about the album: "The highlight of the song is Holdsworth’s unforgettable guitar solo that starts at 3:08. Bruford was full of praise of that solo: “Allan delivered a knockout blow on the first cut, 94 seconds of liquid passion married to a blinding technical facility that was to go down in the annals of rock guitar history. It remains one of the most perfectly formed, intelligently paced, and brilliantly executed guitar bliss you are ever likely to hear.”" My top 5 favorite pieces of Prog Rock that's at least 8 minutes in length are the following: 1) Yes - Close to the Edge 2) King Crimson - Epitaph 3) King Crimson - Starless 4) King Crimson - 21st Century Schizoid Man (It's under 8 minutes in length, but so what, hah hah) : ) 5) U.K. - In the Dead of Night (the entire 13 minute suite and not just the first part) Thirty Years is another fantastic 8+ minute track, and then there's Nevermore, but I won't say anything about that track for now. I'll let you experience it for yourself. JustJP is the only other UA-camr to react to the entire album. You should definitely watch his reactions to each piece. You'll greatly enjoy his analysis and breakdown of the music. I told him about your channel, so I'm hoping you 2 connect and get to know each other : ) I can't wait to watch you react to side 2 and listen to what you have to say about it. You definitely want to get their 2nd album 'Danger Money' and their live album 'Night After Night'. Bruford and Holdsworth left, unfortunately, but Terry Bozzio replaced Bruford, but for whatever reason they chose to go without a guitar player. It's not as good as this album, but it's still very good and I'm sure you'll greatly enjoy listening to it, along with the live album.
@@JimNewstead well hopefully he'll get back to you soon. I told him about your channel too, and let him know that you were reacting to the U.K. album, so here's hoping you hear from him soon : )
Is this your first experience with Allan Holdsworth? Oh, You've got a deep dive to explore. Start with Tempest (first album - Holdsworth; Jon Hiseman (Drums); Mark Clarke (Bass); Paul Williams (Vocals) Then he was in Soft Machine - Bundles; Gong (Expresso/Gasuse); Solo - Velvet Darkness on CTI records (He hated it...but it was still good; UK; Bruford; Tony Williams Lifetime; IOU and a ton of other solo albums; W/ Gordon Beck... and more...
One of my all-time favourite albums. I saw the last ever UK gig in London at Under The Bridge (a small venue beneath Chelsea football stadium) a few years back with Eddie Jobson and John Wetton the two remaining members. Little did I know John was living on borrowed time. We also lost Allan Holdsworth a year or so ago. Two stunningly good musicians who left us too soon. They played the whole of this album along with a couple of tracks from their second album, Danger Money, a solo piece of Eddie's and closed with King Crimson's Starless. By the way, Vivace is pronounced viv-ah-chay.
I'd always thought of this as a sort of mal-formed "Supergroup" that didn't quite jell. Great players...but no "feel". Feels Good to Me had that in spades.
About the audio quality - This is the best I've heard on YT! And was going to mention, Techmoan some time back demonstrated that abt 1/3rd of vinyl crackle is static - but, little to be heard here! :) Long time ago I had an anti-static gun, which gets rid of stray surface charge. About the LP - I'm hearing Chick Corea, Bill B. as on "Red", touches of Zappa, ELO, Bye Bye American Pie - and Alan Parson's Project. Very good! :)
So nice, after watching all you Genesis and Yes videos, seing in my UA-cam this reaction appearing ! A really good album, rarely listened on UA-cam ! Plus, the LP sounds much better than the album on Spotify !
@@JimNewstead the presence of John Wetton here makes me think of a thing : did you do some King Crimson stuff elsewhere (cause I know it's complicated on UA-cam) ?, Did you already know their work before these videos ? Thx for all. You're a really kind person with really good tastes :)
If I'm correct, they never toured this album. I guess to them, this was just a recorded jam session. Thank god they layed it down. Its time for GTR Jim. Another, now you see us now you don't...but what a view. With this music, you can hear what was to come in the '80s.
A couple minutes into this, I was like, "Wow, why have I never given much of a chance to this great record with a bunch of King Crimson alums??" But as the side wore on, I found my attention wandering. I believe you mentioned Gentle Giant at one point, and I can see the comparison, but for all their displays of musicianship, that is a band that always keeps it short and sweet and melodic and focused on the needs of the song. This felt like to me like they had 10 minutes worth of musical ideas and just figured, we're all virtuosos here, we can pad it out to 21 minutes easy!
Another difference between Vinyl and CD is that Vinyl sounds so much better! CD will never sound as good. My main source for music when at home is Vinyl. Don't listen to that many CD's at home, but I do when driving.
A trumpet player once asked me why he hadn’t been told about Allan Holdsworth. I said we guitar players like to keep him quiet because he makes the rest of us look bad.
I love everything about this record except for John Wetton's vocals. The album would have been MUCH better as an instrumental. Check out Bruford's solo records starting at the begining with "Feels Good To Me" (1978), "One Of A Kind" (1979), and "Gradually Going Tornado" (1980). The first 2 have Allan Holdsworth on guitar as well. They are must listens. Also, start checking out Allan Holdsworth's solo records, especially "I.O.U" (1982), "Road Games" (1983) and "Metal Fatigue" (1985)... Also must listens. 🥂
Whilst Holdsworth and Bruford are amongst my favourite musicians the next UK album with Terry Bizio is far better that the first album in terms of consistently memorable tracks
I am blown away, Jim, that you haven't ever heard UK. They were the 1st supergroup. Both of their albums were fantastic, although Danger Money had Terry Bozio on drums instead of Bruford and Holdsworth had left. What a great day for you!
I want to love this album, but I only like it. I know all these players, and I’ve listened to all their other bands, and they are all top notch, but for me these compositions fail to gel or grab my attention. I would rather listen to the contemporary albums by Bruford if I’m in the mood for some fusiony songs with vocals. That said, Allan Holdsworth is a giant with a huge discography worth exploring. Ditto Bill Bruford. Ditto Eddie Jobson. For me, John Wetton’s time with King Crimson (72-74) is his prime.
A friend of mine had bought the record back then and of course I copied it on cassette tape. Good record. Cassette has long gone but I have it in my Apple Music cloud. I never have been that enthusiastic about John Weston’s voice. Oh well, it’s the whole song that counts and that’s more than ok. The album Danger Money is much better than this one.
You're right about Wetton's voice - his falsetto tuning is pretty dodgy (sadly no computerised auto tune back then!). After hearing this, I have more faith even in Palantir stock than a Wetton solo album !!!
Boy, you're just working your way through all the low-hanging fruit of popular prog albums, aren't you? (and by the way, "PRESS-toe vee-VAA-chee". 😉 ) But this is generally regarded as the last great prog album of the 1970s. It is a bona-fide classic. The ELP comparisons are apt, IMO. This is what ELP might have sounded like with a guitar player, for sure. This could be considered a prog super-group, given the pedigrees of everyone in the band. The timing wasn't so good, unfortunately (Wetton shifted hard towards pop music not long after this.)
Love Bruford, his One of a Kind is one of the best fusion albums. This one though I just don't love, I should, but I find it boring. Wetton is his usual but not Crimson class, more Asia who I didn't rate at all, pop-rock. Holdsworth is a great guitarist but I never like his synth-guitar sound, he's brilliant in Soft Machine, Gong and Bruford but here, I don't know, he seems to just noodle about. It is all a bit predictable. Fusion had been about a few years by this release and although played well enough, there's nothing new here. It's all a bit 'oh look how fast we can play'. I should like it, I like all the musicians but I don't know why, it doesn't do it for me. Maybe I'd just already got enough fusion in my collection by the time this came out. No I do know why, it is not musical, it's noodles, so it gets boring. It sounds good at the start but soon gets samey, boring, there is that word again. Although, Bruford albums were after this but they were different, top class, maybe Dave Stewart was the difference or maybe Bruford had learnt by then. I had this album but hadn't played it for a very long time. After seeing this I thought I should give it another listen but I can't find it. Looks like I sold it and I rarely do that. 👍
What hits me, is that they are not able to build a good song...Of course Asia will do worse, but to me this signs the end of this prog-jazz-rock nonsense.
Hi Jim! So I came across this album as a blind purchase around 1982 (I was 18)? At a Tower Records in Brea California (Southern California/SoCal - part of Orange County) that had a lot of Progressive Rock Lp's, and where I made a few other blind purchases (like *Magnum* - "Chase the Dragon", and I believe *Nightwing* - "My Kingdom Come" and others that elude me). I had recognized Bill Bruford on the cover as I was doing my deep dive of the past of Yes at the time, but didn't know as of yet who the other 3 were. Man, was I in for a surprise! When I got it home, and that needle hit the groove . . . I was done. This just added another level a musicianship and composing in my journey through Progressive Rock, and music in general. It would become my Top 5 album of all time. Soon after I would learn about each member, and become a HUGE Allan Holdsworth fan. But as a "Team" for 1 solid album, it was like taming various animals in a cage, it brought out the best in them. Having each concentrate on "songs", but then unleashing the beast in the solos. This was very much a meeting of Progressive Rock meets Fusion, and not caring about a formula, especially in "1978". It was also great to hear Holdsworth play an "Acoustic" on the album, something that he didn't do often, and you can hear his distinct style of "legato" playing. People from Eddie Van Halen, John McLaughlin, Steve Vai, Yngwie Malmsteen, Alex Lifeson, John Petrucci, Ty Tabor, Frank Zappa and a heavy devotee from Meshuggah; lead guitarist Fredrik Thordendal, have cited Holdsworth as an influence and inspiration. I remember in a review of him, someone said; "He looked like an Insurance Salesman playing music from another planet" :D. I ended-up purchasing "Danger Money" and the Live album "Night After Night" (a Japanese print) from the same store. Though I was sad that Holdsworth and Bruford were no longer members, I knew Terry Bozzio from his time in Zappa's band, but this band unleashed another beast of a drummer (the "Roto-tom" sounds, glorious!). And where Jobson had to handle full-time duties as a Keyboardist/Violinist and filling the space of the guitarist, but doing a fantastic job both in-studio and live. I now have them on CD as well, so I can enjoy in all formats and "remember" what it was like 1st hearing them on the turntable, in the dark, just lit-up by the stereo lights :). And then . . . to experience it all over on headphones! AMAZING synth sounds from Jobson, and even better OUT LOUD or on headphones. I too think they sounded VERY unique. I had purchased all 3 albums for our friend "Nick" from NickNLex Reacts, as he is another Holdsworth fanatic. So far they've covered 2 tracks from their debut. So I hope more will be on the way. "Thirty Years" is my fave track on Side 1, but seems the "life" I've been living for more than that sadly :/. Beautiful track though. - See you on the otherside! Glad you enjOyed it Jim! Made me smile . . .
The last great Prog album of the 70's . No one has ever bettered this.
At risk of repeating: This was considered a SUPERgroup! because obviously Bill Bruford (YES, King Crimson, Bruford solo), John Wetton (King Crimson), Eddie Jobson (Curved Air, Frank Zappa), Alan Holdsworth (Soft Machine, Bill Bruford Group). I saw them in a small club. This is the perfect blend of of Prog, Jazz Fusion and Rock.
Taking the musicianship to the next logical level, you must listen to Bill Bruford's "Feels Good To Me" solo album and "One of a Kind" by the Bruford band (a group album). Both classic fusion albums feature the genius guitarist Allan Holdsworth who was something of a guitar god for Steve Vai and Joe Satriani. Even Frank Zappa, John Mclaughlin and Pet Metheny have cited Holdsworth's greatness - they couldn't figure out exactly what he did, so unique was his approach to harmony and guitar soloing.
Those are 2 of the best albums you will ever listen to.
Agreed as to both of the Bruford albums. Released at almost the same time as U.K., the three albums together represent another peak in Bruford's prog-drummer phase, and quite frankly the compositions on the two Bruford records (mostly all from Bruford himself) are really strong.
If I remember correctly did not Holdsworth play guitar on one of his solo efforts. Brufords style of drumming is so subtle in its intricate tempo changes. The only drummer I think that is superior to him is Peart. Being Canadian I am a little prejudiced towards Peart. Peart could never play like Bruford,and vice versa.
@@mikescriber1777 Bruford's first Album "Feels Good To Me" was officially a solo effort with judiciously handpicked musicians. The follow-up album "One of a Kind" was truly a band compositions effort under the moniker of just "Bruford". Both albums featured Holdsworth on guitar, Dave Stewart (kybds) and Jeff Berlin (bass). The 2nd Bruford band album ("Gradually Going Tornado") featured a guitarist billed as The Unknown John Clarke as AH had decided to split and recommended one of his guitar students as a replacement. All three albums are superb. A 3rd Bruford album (recently released as part of a remixed boxed set) reached only demos stage.
@@MissMX Thank you for this. I had completely forgot about Tornado, and I even have that too. None of this would make Top 40 Stations. Most of that is useless fluff. But if you put on U.K., or any music from Bruford you are listening to a genre of music that is comparable to Mozart in classical music. Again thank you to a kindred spirit.
"that snare is tuned within an inch of it's life!" - yep, Bruford!
A proper ping!
This album is in my top 5 albums of all time. Not too many musicians can boast such an amazing debut album. I remember when it came out the radio host said it would be impossible for this great group of musicians to stay together. Way too much talent. This band morphed into Wetton, Jobson and Bozzio. As a trio they were also very good, however not anywhere near this level of perfection. I never get tired of this album. Thanks for posting.
I think it’s going to be an important record for me now I know it!
Well Jim...it's done...
This is my favourite album ever.
Everyone in the band is at their best imo.
But it's bruford drumming...I can honestly say following bill brufords career..this is easily his best kit sound...the pish of the cymbals...the tightness in his playing...omg....it still gets me every time...there is a hard to get box set from the band with a disc of the album included which is pretty much drums guitar keys and bass..with no overdubs....and it gets played with regularity....
As you may know there was a line up change after this and...a second album called dangermoney.....also superb...but no guitar. .with jobson handling guitar parts on violin..
And a live album before they broke up.....nevermore is probably the highpoint..and lead me to Alan holdsworth.
I think his kit sound is even better on Music for Piano and Drums, but this is right up there. More of a “rock” sound.
The drums are spectacular. He is an incredible musician.
Do you know whether Mr. Bruford using some electronic drums?
@@scherado01 Not that I know of in this era. In ‘73/‘74 they did have a Linn (I think) drum machine that they would use in improvs, but I’m not aware of Bill using it or any electronic drums in UK, solo, or Bruford. Basically not until the Simmons drums used on Discipline.
@@NewBritainStation The reason I ask is that I thought the toms sound "fake," which I don't like.
That bit you said is "almost ELP-like, or Gentle Giant" is actually more of a Zappa thing. And it shouldn't be surprising, as Eddie Jobson has just left Zappa's band prior to recording this.
The fast little notes are very Zappa. Don't forget that Eddie was also in Roxy Music and Crim. Things rub off.
@@2wayplebney Eddie wasn’t in King Crimson, they just had him overdub a violin part on USA.
@@NewBritainStation good enough for me to regard Eddie as an honorary Crim.
Hey Jim
Glad you got round to this gem of an album. Some top playing from top musicians - what’s not to like?
In his excellent and highly readable autobiography, Mr Bruford had this to say about Allan Holdsworth on this album:
“Allan delivered a knock-out blow in the first cut, ‘In the Dead of Night’. 94 seconds of liquid passion married to a blinding technical facility that was to go down in the annals of rock guitar history. All the hallmarks of his brilliant playing were there in this solo: poise, pace, melody, the Slonimsky interval-jumps, the whammy-bar, and all over a killer groove. You could hear the reaction across the water in the USA from Eddie Van Halen, John McLaughlin, Al Di Meola, and all the other great guitar players of the day.”
Holdsworth also featured on Bill Bruford’s first couple of pure fusion albums under the band name Bruford: Feels Good to Me, and the excellent One of a Kind. Well worth checking out if you can find the time.
Three guys formerly from King Crimson and one from the jazz-rock world. Well you got it ! One of the prog rock highlights ever.
Saw them at Essex Uni in 1978..... good to hear them again
Now you are right in my HS prog rock groove. I was privileged to see UK at the Cow Palace in San Francisco back in the early 1980s. Now imagine this, UK was the opening band. Jethro Tull was the main attraction!
I love Tull, but would have been there for UK.
Brilliant LP, welcome to the club!
Bruford One Of A Kind is a must.
Holdsworth!
Pretty cool eh Jim. Burford and Wetton are fine place to start the foundation of a band. Great to hear this again. Gentle Giant meets Miles Davis.
The first track on side 2 is very GG.
Hi Jim , just a prog / fusion classic & one of my all time favorites ! I was lucky enough to see the original band twice when the album can out .They were just phenomenal, i also saw the band for their 2nd album Danger money which was down to a trio when Bruford & Holdsworth left the band but it's still s very good album ,with Terry Bozzio on drums he's excellent also . The 2nd time i saw the original band they actually played some things from the 2nd album they were working on but never recorded . I also recommend Bill Brufords 1st two solo albums" Feels good to me " & " One of a kind " similar to this album be more fusion .I saw Bill Bruford live for the "One of a kind album in a small club his drumming 🥁 blew me away still one of my all time favorite drummers . On side 2 of UK is one of my favorite tracks "Nevermore " see what you think .
Looking forward to listening to this along with you, Jim. I have an acoustic neuroma and am going through a period of high distortion and tinnitus at the moment. Once it has settled again I’ll join you. Listening along with someone like yourself (who loves music) gives me a chance to re-experience the sheer magic in a shared way. Thank you.
What a kickass debut album! One of the most identifiable-sounding album I know of. Incredible stellar musicianship from start to finish. Superb.
Another great band and album. There second album as a trio is very good too.
Thanks Jimbo.
Great Album ! I was lucky enough to see UK in concert in 1979 when they were the opening act for Jethro Tull. That tour led to Eddie Jobson becoming a guest member of Jethro Tull for their A album and tour in 1980. Jobson’s influence on that album and tour was huge. I’m not recommending the A album but still waiting on Minstrel in the Gallery.
I love Tull’s ‘A’ album!! Thought it was a perfect shift after Burstin Out! Though at first i was saddened that Barrymore Barlow wasn’t JT drummer anymore, oh well, Duane Perry was/is an excellent drummer too✌🏼😎
Yes. I saw them with Tull at the Long Beach Arena in 79 as well. Great memories.
This album has a fusion sound not unlike Jean luke Ponti. Great fusion jazz. Great music.
Watching Jim's confused face at the beginning, he's thinking "Am I listening to Drama again?" ;-)
The opening riff of Yes's Into the Lens (1980) and UK's In the Dead of Night (1978) are uncannily close, are they not?
An outstanding album. The Zappa connection is strong on this one. Eddie Jobson was a Zappa alumni, and Frank regularly named Allan Holdsworth as his favourite guitar player.
Your into it now Jim. This is a wonderful album. Bill just knocks it out of the park with the percussives. Bill's drumming is so unique. I followed him to Crimson and for me it's Yes then Crimson and it goes on from there.
That debut album by U.K. is still a favorite after all these years. There has never been another album like it. Not even U.K. could duplicate it. As you said, it's not Yes, ELP, King Crimson, etc., yet it's as if all those influences were stirred into a single expression, a savory musical gumbo never tasted before or since. Too flowery? OK, the album kicks ass! I will say this, the album came along when Progressive Rock was being ushered out the door. It was the last dying breath of an era that refused to go quietly into the night. It wasn't long after this album that everything changed. Wetton's next band was the "super group" Asia, with Steve Howe (Yes), Carl Palmer (ELP), and Geoff Downes (Yes [Drama]). After U.K. (and hearing of this new lineup) my expectations could not have been higher, only to be dashed by their obvious play for "hit material." Asia's debut wasn't a bad album, but on the invention and creativity bell curves it was parsecs away from U.K. U.K. is definitely in my top 5 favorite albums of all time. It's perfect (every track succeeds). There are more goosebump-inducing harmonies per side than most bands produce in a career. It's thick, sultry, sexy. It's the stuff of life.
well said : )
I might put Khan 'Space Shanty' up the list with UK. (Khan also featured a preeminent guitarist, pre-Gong Steve Hillage, and Canterbury prog keyboardist extraordinaire, Dave Stewart ... love everything Stewart ever touched, and that includes a lot of music.) I wore out both of these LPs before 1980 erupted ... countless hours of musical bliss.
Great comment, thank you!
Love, love this band. Been listening to them for many years. They often sound like King Crimson.
Not too surprising - 3 Crim members in the band.
@@2wayplebney True enough.
A great album if you like ELP You will love this album
You picking all the good ones Jim, Ihad this since the day it came out, some great video's on YT, with a great Marco Minneman on drums. Maybe you should try Spartacus by Triumvirat, about same time.
The last great iconic Prog album of the 70's!!!! Such a shame that this line-up only lasted this one album (Wetton's desire for the pop group that he would get with Asia is what killed it). This album was a lot of people's introduction to Holdsworth, and he blew people's minds. On the synth front, that's the sound of the legendary Yamaha CS-80, considered one of the greatest analog synths ever. Vangelis made the CS-80 famous through soundtracks like "Chariots of Fire" and "Blade Runner".
This is a great album, to be certain...but I wouldn't dismiss their follow up, Danger Money. Leaning more toward the pop end of the spectrum but with plenty of quirkiness still. That was actually my introduction to U.K. and I love the album to this day. Of course, they lost Holdsworth and Bruford (which definitely sucked) but while Terri Bozzio is no Bill Bruford he's incredibly fast and precise and incorporates some of the tastiest cymbal work I've ever heard.
Love that synths sounds a lot. I think Jobson and Vangelis were the first to highlighted it at that level.
@@stephanevilleneuve9450 For sure. Even though it was used by a number of people, I don't think many exploited its full potential. Maybe only Vangelis did that.
Synth was the Yamaha CS80 and Mini Moog and a Moog modular and of course Jobson' s Violin through guitar effects.
That kind of music is just very fun to listen to. And super interesting Drum sound. Sounds like they tuned everything quite high, some toms even sound like they have no reso-head at all. The Snare is like...suuuuper dry but high pitched, sounds like a resonating piece of wood actually. But i also like the cymbals alot
They're roto toms. Clang!
@@jimhardiman3836 ha yeah i know. But his Reso Toms 1 and 2 sound like that too. I wasnt referring to the rotos :D but good ear for noticing there are some involved
@@WardenOfSouls What's a reso tom?
@@jimhardiman3836 ah sorry. Its just a normal tom. I kinda just automatically translated that into english out of habit. Im german and Sound engineers for some reason call it out as "resonanz tom 1, 2, 3 and so on" during sound checks. It just means resonant tom and i actually have no idea why thats a thing but i got used to it. Just an overcomplicated word for a normal tom.
Ha! I honestly just played this one yesterday! 😄
Nice one! 👌
Very strange but while listening to the first song, I thought about Rocky ost...nevermind, this is pretty good, awesome musicianship, Alan Holdsworth's work is delightful as always. The sound is slick, and I don't mind the very 80's synths. 20:03 is great
I had that. And that initial riff is catchy alright. It goes through my head on an almost weekly basic, and I haven't heard it in decades.
Bum. Bum. Bum. Bumbum. Bumbum. Bum. Bum.
Thanks for the walk. Gustav. Betty gustav! Quelle provenance!
Be at peace, friend. Peace through music.
Bought this on vinyl back in the 70s, based purely on the cover and that Bill Bruford was playing on it (knew him from Close to the Edge and Fragile). Couldn't get my friends into it much, but played it on my own every now and then. An underrated gem in my view.
So glad you jumped on U.K. straight on. Your comments about the bits and pieces from other bands is what made Prog my favorite music for many, many years. Looking forward to side 2.
Don’t hesitate to react on their next album, Danger Money. Greaaaaat songs on it. 🤩
Hey Jim! Well I know Lightmane is happy about this one. Lol! I've only heard bits of U.K. So let's see what it's all about.😎
I'm just about to listen to this now. So what do you think, Jeff? 🙂
@@Lightmane So far so good. See what side 2 is all about.😎
Good choice this is a timeless fantastic album. Sad with a couple of them passing away recently. I felt then as today how wonderful the sound quality and fusion elements brought into the compositions. All these guys were bouncing around between so many wonderful bands at the time pulling in all those great influences. I will give one… Allan Holdsworth with John Luc Ponte on Enigmatic oceans.
Far from my favorite prog band but it's a real good album and excellent musicians. Well, while relistening it after a long time: it's really good. Wetton is a perfect voice and perfect bass player. And I don't talk about the guitar, such a unique sound. Listen to the song In the Mystery, from Holdsworth.
What a great voice John Wetton had. RIP. I love the very overt nod to the album Larks Tongue in Aspic in the middle of By the Light of Day. Wow, I had forgotten what a superb album this is which I owned at one time and haven't heard for ages. I love your vinyl reviews Jim. They are so much better than most other reactors.
Thank you Andy!
Fabulous LP.... I just played both albums last week.
A shout out to Stephen W Tayler who produced this album - he is a fine fellow indeed!
Everyone is firing on all 4, this album should be in everyone's collection, Buford plays with such precision man I looove this album
A classic that had one eye on quality pop and one eye on technically proficient prog. Hell of a lineup though. The most skillful and yet under-appreciated guitarist working at that time, for my money the best voice in prog and he plays a fairly crucial bass as well, Eddie Jobson, the Thomas Dolby of his generation, and Mr. William Bruford esquire, bar none my favourite drummer in any form of music, a man who introduced the previously exclusive to jazz idea that a drummer might actually use his brain rather than just his muscles. Not a bad song, not a bad performance and not a bad album. Hell of a legacy.
People's references crack me up! Thomas Dolby? really? LOL. and not sure I hear the Pop in this. That was Asia
Yamaha CS80 is the main synth, with Minimoog in addition.
The sequencer was a weird wedge-shaped thing whose name I can't remember.
I believe what you are referring to is the Synclavier
My fav UK offering by far!
Wow! Love your channel. UK was such a great band! RIP John Wetton(great voice and bass player) and Alan Holdsworth(master guitarist). Eddie Jobson(keys and violin) played with Roxy Music, very briefly with Frank Zappa and with Jethro Tull for years 80-81 I think. And Bill Buford(drums), what can you say, original Yes, King Crimson, Genesis, Brand X...etc. The 70's was such a great time period for prog and fusion music. I am so glad I was in my teens and got to be exposed to all this!!!!
Thanks bud, appreciate it 👍🏼
I was waiting for someone to mention Roxy Music, that's the only way I heard of Jobson. I think the album "Stranded" is good for a reaction by Mr. Newstead.
Exactly Jim! In fact, Gavin Harrison has replaced Bill Bruford in the new King Crimson line-up. Bill Bruford is my favorite drummer, his touch and approach are truly unique !!
Such a great album. In the Dead Of Night has one of the greatest bass riffs ever and Holdsworth's guitar solo in that song has to be one of his best too.I bought the LP when it came out in 1978 and I still listen to it.
I heard this on Alan Freeman's Saturday show when it came out. On Monday, I bought the album. I still listen to it regularly. It is feckin' brilliant. There is a great live album featuring Holdsworth, a great live album without Holdsworth, and the second album, Danger Money, which is ... great. Pretty sure you'll like side 2, even though the best track is the first one. I haven't seen you lost for words before. Maybe I wasn't paying attention.
Ha! Alan “Fluff” Freeman, haven’t heard that name in years!
@@JimNewstead it was the show to listen to for new rock music. He also played "Wish You Were Here" in its entirety. And he was mad for ELP, though I was not.
Interesting album. One can hear how some of this carried over via Eddie Jobson to Tull's devisive 1980 album 'A'.
Strangely enough, I've heard snippets of this album before, but was never really taken in. As a whole now, this first side was pretty excellent 😃
Side 2 is also excellent. The follow - up album, Danger Money, is also great.
Their other album Danger Money is great from this band.
If you liked this Bruford's "Feels Good to Me" is a must! Tighter! Bruford & Holdsworth plus bassist Jeff Berlin; Egg keyboardist Dave Stewart (not the other one) and add in vocalist Annette Peacock and Kenny Wheeler on flugelhorn.
And then check out Tony Williams Lifetime "Believe It" album - both some of Holdsworth's best work!
You really must hear Hazard Profile by Soft Machine off their lp Bundles (1975) which has Alan Holdsworth playing some sublime solos 👍
I bought reach the uncommon chord and tried to play some Holdsworth but it's impossible. Saw him gig twice once at Huddersfield and he was not so good in the first half. He went for a few pints and came back and ripped the place apart. That's a Yorkshireman for you.
This album is a beautiful Beast definitely in my top 20,my most favorite part of this album is when John sings"🐺 AT THE DOOR"😁
The CS-80 had one of the best synth sounds, but it cost an arm and a leg back in the day. IIRC it had 16 voices, meaning you could play 16 keys at the same time (maybe with your toes?), but you could also split the voices into groups of 8, 4, 2, and 1 key. That 'Fat' sound was made possible because you could split the 16 voices (by slightly detuning some of them) to get that sound. Jobson has an album called "The Green Album" which shows off the CS-80 along with his violin genius. I.O.U. by Holdsworth is an incredible album that you definitely need to listen to. I never though Wetton was better than on this album. His stuff with Asia is awesome, but this is his finest, IMHO. Bruford, well he is just one of the best drummer/percussionists ever. Got to see him play with King Crimson, twice, in the 80's. Just an awesome musician.
Doesn't Wetton sound like Greg Lake in parts on this album?
Definitely you can hear Greg Lake
It's a shame Wetton struggles with some falsetto high notes, and his intonation is at times uneven throughout the album.
@@paulquinn7980 He always sounds like Greg lake or vice versa. They were in the same groups at different times with same sound. They are the classic sound of prog.
When Asia needed a one off singer for their Japan concert they hired Greg Lake.
@@WooBino. I know, in 1983. A last minute hire!
One of the ones i was looking forward to! Huzzah
Oh yeah, this album stayed on my turntable for a long damn time. Alan Holdsworth on guitar played some of his more beautiful solos, and that damn tone of his, sigh. You should hit the Bruford solo albums too. Yeah, I'd call this fusion, mainly between rock and jazz. Such a good album. RIP Alan.
I will... I have some Bruford solo stuff unlisted to 👍🏻
Amazing debut from those gents. Wonderful recording quality and instrument sounds - was it really recorded 77-78? 🤘🏼🎧🤟🏼
Really great album
I'm sure this will get lost into the other comments most 2 years and older, not hard to tell that was a. Holdsworth before I saw the name. Excelente, now going to check out the suggested albums with anticipation😮
If you want to hear a very unique and interesting album after going through U.K., Jim, see if you can find a copy of Eddie Jobson's 1983 solo album "Eddie Jobson/Zinc," sometimes called "The Green Album." As an ardent U.K. fan, I bought it the day it came out, and was obsessed with it for a couple years, along with my Rush/U.K.-loving drummer. It's by no means perfect-getting the kind of textural variety like Eddie did out of a Yamaha CS-80 often involves invoking the low and hi-pass filters simultaneously, resulting in bandpass-a rather thin, upper-midrangey sound, and the rest of the '80s production wasn't helping much. That said, there's a lot to love there, in the writing and performances. Oh, and also, Gary Green from Gentle Giant plays on a few tracks.
Fun note (npi): Eddie included an address for correspondence in the liner notes, so I posted a request for a personalized autograph, and got one back, on dorky, '80s piano-keyboard stationery. I was going through my old things at my parent's house just last year and found it in the frame I'd put it in way back when, which made me smile.
I just picked up the CD version that I was looking for decades! At a fave record store around Dec. of 2021 :). I've had Zinc on Lp since, around 1985. "Transporter/Resident" is a favorite, great way to open-up the album.
After this album UK became a three piece as Holdsworth and Brufiord were jazzers and Wetton and Jobson wanted to play tunes over again without noodling. As Noodler's go Holdsworth is one of the best. Check out his solo tracks such as on Metal Fatigue and IOU.
It’s a shame they couldn’t make at least one or two more records. But at least they made this one!
@@JimNewstead UK Concert Classics Vol 4 includes tracks which were to turn up on Danger Money but with Bruford and Holdsworth so nice to compare
The late Alan Holdsworth was One of a kind. Nobody sounded like him.
Ironically, so many have TRIED to sound like him !!!!
One of the greatest prog albums of all time. Parts of this album are absolutely sublime. I know it was a year ago but I'm glad you finally got to hear this masterpiece. Believe me it gets even richer as the years go by.
By the way, sounds like you need to be listening to more Allan Holdsworth. Judging from this reaction, I don't think it has quite sunken in as to what you actually heard. It was the same with me when I first heard Holdsworth. My ears weren't mature enough to notice the depth of the greatness! Again, with time, the richness unfolds!
The drums are too good on this.
listen to John Wetton and Bill Bruford together is always an otherworldly sensation! What about a King Crimson reaction?
Sadly King Crimson videos are impossible due to Robert Fripp’s draconian approach to copyright and his history of having UA-camr’s accounts deleted. I’m not going to risk everything for a couple of videos. He doesn’t want more people to hear his music? Fair enough with me.
@@JimNewstead True, I understand. Robert Fripp is a truly eccentric artist! A real shame, because for me King Crimson is the greatest band in the history of Rock! My point of view, of course! 😁
I heard of UK pre internet days but never seen or have the heard them, they got zero radio play even in NYC.
So my introduction to John Wetton was very late, I only knew of him from Asia. 😟
So, you can catch up!
Jim: You might've said you were 'listening to 'UK' by UK, in the UK'.
If I were in the UK, I'd lend you my Khan 'Space Shanty', which I think you'd love. A super-group from 1972, featureing pre-Gong Steve Hillage, Canterbury keyboard great Dave Stewart (not the Eurythmics bloke; this Dave was in Egg, National Health, Hatfield and the North, and Bill Bruford's post-UK work). I can't understate the greatness of Khan's only album.
Side two 👍🏼
Hi Jim. I wasn't expecting you to react to U.K. so quickly. So glad you did, so let me tell you my thoughts, along with the little that I know about U.K..
The only reason I bought this album when it came out was because my brother was in a rock band at the time and they were all raving about Allan Holdsworth. Had it not been for them, I might never have heard this album. I couldn't understand why it didn't get any radio play, at least where I lived in Chicago it didn't.
Rolling Stone ranked this album as the 30th best Progressive Rock album of all time. I think they're nuts. This easily makes my top 10, but I LOVE what Ty Tabor of Kings X said about it.
From Wikipedia: He selected the album as his top pick in a "5 Essential Guitar Albums" list, stating, "I had never heard anybody think about playing guitar the way that [Holdsworth] plays on that record."
Eddie Van Halen said that Allan Holdsworth was the greatest guitar player he ever saw, but my favorite quote is from Bill Bruford. From an article about the album: "The highlight of the song is Holdsworth’s unforgettable guitar solo that starts at 3:08. Bruford was full of praise of that solo: “Allan delivered a knockout blow on the first cut, 94 seconds of liquid passion married to a blinding technical facility that was to go down in the annals of rock guitar history. It remains one of the most perfectly formed, intelligently paced, and brilliantly executed guitar bliss you are ever likely to hear.”"
My top 5 favorite pieces of Prog Rock that's at least 8 minutes in length are the following:
1) Yes - Close to the Edge
2) King Crimson - Epitaph
3) King Crimson - Starless
4) King Crimson - 21st Century Schizoid Man (It's under 8 minutes in length, but so what, hah hah) : )
5) U.K. - In the Dead of Night (the entire 13 minute suite and not just the first part)
Thirty Years is another fantastic 8+ minute track, and then there's Nevermore, but I won't say anything about that track for now. I'll let you experience it for yourself.
JustJP is the only other UA-camr to react to the entire album. You should definitely watch his reactions to each piece. You'll greatly enjoy his analysis and breakdown of the music.
I told him about your channel, so I'm hoping you 2 connect and get to know each other : )
I can't wait to watch you react to side 2 and listen to what you have to say about it. You definitely want to get their 2nd album 'Danger Money' and their live album 'Night After Night'. Bruford and Holdsworth left, unfortunately, but Terry Bozzio replaced Bruford, but for whatever reason they chose to go without a guitar player. It's not as good as this album, but it's still very good and I'm sure you'll greatly enjoy listening to it, along with the live album.
Well, I’m glad I listened to this record and glad you enjoyed it! I tried to message JustJP via a DM on Twitter but he didn’t reply.
@@JimNewstead well hopefully he'll get back to you soon. I told him about your channel too, and let him know that you were reacting to the U.K. album, so here's hoping you hear from him soon : )
Is this your first experience with Allan Holdsworth?
Oh, You've got a deep dive to explore.
Start with Tempest (first album - Holdsworth; Jon Hiseman (Drums); Mark Clarke (Bass); Paul Williams (Vocals)
Then he was in Soft Machine - Bundles; Gong (Expresso/Gasuse); Solo - Velvet Darkness on CTI records (He hated it...but it was still good; UK; Bruford; Tony Williams Lifetime; IOU and a ton of other solo albums; W/ Gordon Beck... and more...
One of my all-time favourite albums. I saw the last ever UK gig in London at Under The Bridge (a small venue beneath Chelsea football stadium) a few years back with Eddie Jobson and John Wetton the two remaining members. Little did I know John was living on borrowed time. We also lost Allan Holdsworth a year or so ago. Two stunningly good musicians who left us too soon. They played the whole of this album along with a couple of tracks from their second album, Danger Money, a solo piece of Eddie's and closed with King Crimson's Starless. By the way, Vivace is pronounced viv-ah-chay.
Thanks James 👍🏼
I'd always thought of this as a sort of mal-formed "Supergroup" that didn't quite jell.
Great players...but no "feel".
Feels Good to Me had that in spades.
Best debut Prog album ever!
About the audio quality - This is the best I've heard on YT!
And was going to mention, Techmoan some time back demonstrated that abt 1/3rd of vinyl crackle is static - but, little to be heard here! :) Long time ago I had an anti-static gun, which gets rid of stray surface charge.
About the LP - I'm hearing Chick Corea, Bill B. as on "Red", touches of Zappa, ELO, Bye Bye American Pie - and Alan Parson's Project. Very good! :)
Wow! Thank you Xlerb. I think I’ve cracked it. Always looking for ways to make it better.
So nice, after watching all you Genesis and Yes videos, seing in my UA-cam this reaction appearing ! A really good album, rarely listened on UA-cam !
Plus, the LP sounds much better than the album on Spotify !
The LP sounds great!
@@JimNewstead the presence of John Wetton here makes me think of a thing : did you do some King Crimson stuff elsewhere (cause I know it's complicated on UA-cam) ?, Did you already know their work before these videos ?
Thx for all. You're a really kind person with really good tastes :)
If I'm correct, they never toured this album. I guess to them, this was just a recorded jam session. Thank god they layed it down. Its time for GTR Jim. Another, now you see us now you don't...but what a view. With this music, you can hear what was to come in the '80s.
I like Danger Money best.
Yamaha CS-80 in the house.
Yup! Such a great sound. I couldn’t remember the model number so just went with Yamaha, Roland and Moog analogue synths!
RIP John Wetton and Alan Holdsworth 🙏🙏
A couple minutes into this, I was like, "Wow, why have I never given much of a chance to this great record with a bunch of King Crimson alums??" But as the side wore on, I found my attention wandering.
I believe you mentioned Gentle Giant at one point, and I can see the comparison, but for all their displays of musicianship, that is a band that always keeps it short and sweet and melodic and focused on the needs of the song. This felt like to me like they had 10 minutes worth of musical ideas and just figured, we're all virtuosos here, we can pad it out to 21 minutes easy!
I've always thought of U.K. as a more accessible King Crimson.
I've been aware of this band by reputation only. They live up to the hype so far!
Another difference between Vinyl and CD is that Vinyl sounds so much better! CD will never sound as good. My main source for music when at home is Vinyl. Don't listen to that many CD's at home, but I do when driving.
A trumpet player once asked me why he hadn’t been told about Allan Holdsworth. I said we guitar players like to keep him quiet because he makes the rest of us look bad.
Strange that John Wetton never made it on a Yes album.
It seems Yes was all filled up with a bass player and vocalists...
I love everything about this record except for John Wetton's vocals. The album would have been MUCH better as an instrumental. Check out Bruford's solo records starting at the begining with "Feels Good To Me" (1978), "One Of A Kind" (1979), and "Gradually Going Tornado" (1980). The first 2 have Allan Holdsworth on guitar as well. They are must listens. Also, start checking out Allan Holdsworth's solo records, especially "I.O.U" (1982), "Road Games" (1983) and "Metal Fatigue" (1985)... Also must listens. 🥂
Whilst Holdsworth and Bruford are amongst my favourite musicians the next UK album with Terry Bizio is far better that the first album in terms of consistently memorable tracks
I am blown away, Jim, that you haven't ever heard UK. They were the 1st supergroup. Both of their albums were fantastic, although Danger Money had Terry Bozio on drums instead of Bruford and Holdsworth had left. What a great day for you!
Wrong about being the first super group.
@@jimhardiman3836 opinions Jim, all opinions. In mine, they were the 1st that defined "super".
I know that technically Cream was the 1st but...
Oh well. If I hadn’t heard Yes or Genesis properly then the chances of coming across this were remote! Hearing it not though 😊
@@billnole2188 opinions are not facts.
Much better, no drama this time (he he). Allan Holdsworth (like Rory Gallagher) was such an underrated guitarist.
Glad you’re happier 😜
@@JimNewstead Cheers.
I want to love this album, but I only like it. I know all these players, and I’ve listened to all their other bands, and they are all top notch, but for me these compositions fail to gel or grab my attention. I would rather listen to the contemporary albums by Bruford if I’m in the mood for some fusiony songs with vocals. That said, Allan Holdsworth is a giant with a huge discography worth exploring. Ditto Bill Bruford. Ditto Eddie Jobson. For me, John Wetton’s time with King Crimson (72-74) is his prime.
Holdsworth!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A friend of mine had bought the record back then and of course I copied it on cassette tape. Good record. Cassette has long gone but I have it in my Apple Music cloud.
I never have been that enthusiastic about John Weston’s voice. Oh well, it’s the whole song that counts and that’s more than ok.
The album Danger Money is much better than this one.
You're right about Wetton's voice - his falsetto tuning is pretty dodgy (sadly no computerised auto tune back then!). After hearing this, I have more faith even in Palantir stock than a Wetton solo album !!!
Boy, you're just working your way through all the low-hanging fruit of popular prog albums, aren't you? (and by the way, "PRESS-toe vee-VAA-chee". 😉 ) But this is generally regarded as the last great prog album of the 1970s. It is a bona-fide classic. The ELP comparisons are apt, IMO. This is what ELP might have sounded like with a guitar player, for sure. This could be considered a prog super-group, given the pedigrees of everyone in the band. The timing wasn't so good, unfortunately (Wetton shifted hard towards pop music not long after this.)
I didn’t know this was low hanging! I’d never heard of it before.
Love Bruford, his One of a Kind is one of the best fusion albums. This one though I just don't love, I should, but I find it boring. Wetton is his usual but not Crimson class, more Asia who I didn't rate at all, pop-rock.
Holdsworth is a great guitarist but I never like his synth-guitar sound, he's brilliant in Soft Machine, Gong and Bruford but here, I don't know, he seems to just noodle about. It is all a bit predictable. Fusion had been about a few years by this release and although played well enough, there's nothing new here. It's all a bit 'oh look how fast we can play'.
I should like it, I like all the musicians but I don't know why, it doesn't do it for me. Maybe I'd just already got enough fusion in my collection by the time this came out. No I do know why, it is not musical, it's noodles, so it gets boring. It sounds good at the start but soon gets samey, boring, there is that word again.
Although, Bruford albums were after this but they were different, top class, maybe Dave Stewart was the difference or maybe Bruford had learnt by then.
I had this album but hadn't played it for a very long time. After seeing this I thought I should give it another listen but I can't find it. Looks like I sold it and I rarely do that. 👍
It's an ok album
I can take it or leave it
But it's not in my top 20
What hits me, is that they are not able to build a good song...Of course Asia will do worse, but to me this signs the end of this prog-jazz-rock nonsense.
Hi Jim!
So I came across this album as a blind purchase around 1982 (I was 18)? At a Tower Records in Brea California (Southern California/SoCal - part of Orange County) that had a lot of Progressive Rock Lp's, and where I made a few other blind purchases (like *Magnum* - "Chase the Dragon", and I believe *Nightwing* - "My Kingdom Come" and others that elude me). I had recognized Bill Bruford on the cover as I was doing my deep dive of the past of Yes at the time, but didn't know as of yet who the other 3 were. Man, was I in for a surprise!
When I got it home, and that needle hit the groove . . . I was done. This just added another level a musicianship and composing in my journey through Progressive Rock, and music in general. It would become my Top 5 album of all time. Soon after I would learn about each member, and become a HUGE Allan Holdsworth fan. But as a "Team" for 1 solid album, it was like taming various animals in a cage, it brought out the best in them. Having each concentrate on "songs", but then unleashing the beast in the solos. This was very much a meeting of Progressive Rock meets Fusion, and not caring about a formula, especially in "1978".
It was also great to hear Holdsworth play an "Acoustic" on the album, something that he didn't do often, and you can hear his distinct style of "legato" playing. People from Eddie Van Halen, John McLaughlin, Steve Vai, Yngwie Malmsteen, Alex Lifeson, John Petrucci, Ty Tabor, Frank Zappa and a heavy devotee from Meshuggah; lead guitarist Fredrik Thordendal, have cited Holdsworth as an influence and inspiration. I remember in a review of him, someone said; "He looked like an Insurance Salesman playing music from another planet" :D.
I ended-up purchasing "Danger Money" and the Live album "Night After Night" (a Japanese print) from the same store. Though I was sad that Holdsworth and Bruford were no longer members, I knew Terry Bozzio from his time in Zappa's band, but this band unleashed another beast of a drummer (the "Roto-tom" sounds, glorious!). And where Jobson had to handle full-time duties as a Keyboardist/Violinist and filling the space of the guitarist, but doing a fantastic job both in-studio and live.
I now have them on CD as well, so I can enjoy in all formats and "remember" what it was like 1st hearing them on the turntable, in the dark, just lit-up by the stereo lights :). And then . . . to experience it all over on headphones! AMAZING synth sounds from Jobson, and even better OUT LOUD or on headphones. I too think they sounded VERY unique.
I had purchased all 3 albums for our friend "Nick" from NickNLex Reacts, as he is another Holdsworth fanatic. So far they've covered 2 tracks from their debut. So I hope more will be on the way.
"Thirty Years" is my fave track on Side 1, but seems the "life" I've been living for more than that sadly :/. Beautiful track though.
- See you on the otherside! Glad you enjOyed it Jim! Made me smile . . .
Glad you smiled. Me too!