Search - Chirco :: Visitation

Lost Progressive/Psych Classic

Chris Gerbig | Ontario, Canada | 09/03/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"A rare classic from 1972, now digitally remastered on CD. Sort of a loose concept LP in two movements: Older Than Ancient (Part1) and Younger Than New (Part2). There's some sharp guitar work from John Naylor, and the bass and drums are particularly tight, especially on the more driving songs with an upbeat, jazzy swing like "Dear Friends" and "Child of Peace". The liberal use of vibes and the spiritual themes in the lyrics give it a dated "hippie-ish" atmosphere. The vocals are not particularly distinctive (which is the main weakness), but there's enough complexity of composition to please lovers of early art rock. As an album, it holds together nicely, with a great deal of consistency. It alternates between quiter, melodic passages and more guitar and organ driven rock. Overall, a very satisfying example of American progressive rock of the period. The CD reissue reproduces the great original album cover art."