Quite a scary album!
Mr.Guy Wilkinson | Leicester, United Kingdom | 09/24/2001
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This was the rarest of all the Spiral Vertigo LPs released in the UK. Most people appear to think that it is not a very good album: I disagree. It is a little rough around the edges I admit, but at least there isn't really another album quite like it. The band are a three piece comprising the singer/keyboardist (Harpsichord, Piano, Organ), a bassist, and a drummer. The album is a concept album about the singer's descent into hell due to his soul splitting into three parts. Momentarilly cheesey, an almost Rock-Opera feel to it - but definitely quite a scary album which is its main charm. As far as musicmanship goes, the drummer is excellent, the keyboards are very well played and quite eclectic (definitely a hint of jazz-fusion here), the bass is competant and fills out the sound, and the vocals are ... umm ... aggressive and mean spirited. But I should stress that this album is not everyone's cup of tea: an acquired taste indeed!"
Nice, underrated early British prog
BENJAMIN MILER | Veneta, Oregon | 06/29/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Dr. Z's Three Parts to My Soul is said to be the rarest album to be released on the "swirl" Vertigo label, with only about 80 copies known to exist (that means if you own the original LP, hold on to it, you're likely never to find another copy). This was a band fronted by a University of North Wales professor named Keith Keyes, who handles vocals and keyboards (harpsichord, piano, organ). Backing him up in this band were Bob Watkins on drums and Rob Watson on bass. Simple, three man lineup with no guitar player. In 1970, the band released a pop-oriented single on the Fontana label called "Lady Ladybird" b/w "People in the Street". These two songs (which you can find as the bonus tracks on the reissue of Three Parts to My Soul) shows very little evidence of where the band would be headed the following year. It's almost like the band was trying to get a hit, and while I think "Lady Ladybird" has its charms (being awfully cheerful, compared to what they'll be doing a year later), "People in the Street" does little for me. Their first (and only) full-length album from 1971, Three Parts to My Soul is a complete different story from the "Lady Ladybird"/"People in the Street" single. This album is full blown, early British prog, with lyrics that lean to the occult (not unlike Black Widow's Sacrifice). Produced by Patrick Campbell-Lyons (of Nirvana - not THAT Nirvana with Kurt Cobain, of course, but the late '60s/early '70s UK band), the lyrics deal with the afterlife and that the soul doesn't go to heaven or hell, but rather splits in to three and goes to heaven, hell, and to haunt the Earth, and that the fact the soul isn't really good or bad. There are some who think this album isn't very good. Admittedly the music isn't the most polished, and the symphonic prog crowd of the Yes and Genesis-influenced variety might not find this a particularly satisfying album. Those who enjoy Black Widow, Gracious, Cressida, etc., might have something to like of this album. While the Mellotron and Hammond organ was the keyboards most dominate of many bands of the time, it's the harpsichord that takes center stage on this album. This album is full of great stuff, like "Evil Woman's Manly Child", "Spiritus, Manes et Umbra" (which would even be better without the drum solo), "Summer for the Rose", and "In a Token of Despair". The vocals have this evil sound to it, and a peculiar accent to many of the songs, to give it a more dramatic and theatrical feel to it. The original LP comes with a gimmick fold-out cover, not unlike ELP's Brain Salad Surgery, and it's nice to know several CD reissues nicely replicate this (like Si-Wan from Korea, the Japanese reissue, and the current Italian reissue on Akarma, which I own). Certainly Three Parts to my Soul is an acquired taste, but for those who don't mind the lyrics, and those who like early British prog would probably enjoy this album."
If you've managed to come across this on Amazon, you'd might
E. Klosterman | Midwest USA | 08/10/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Imagine if Sid Vicious replaced Greg Lake in ELP, Keith Emerson threw out all his Moogs and Hammond Organs and only banged on a harpsichord, and they all started playing Satanic-related music. This is kind of what this sounds like. And to think that the vocalist is a college professor! The album is mostly dark and gothic sounding odes to the afterlife and souls splitting apart and other disturbing subjects, though the last two songs are just fun catchy pop songs that easily get stuck in your head. All in all it's a very worthy album and it's a shame that few people have heard of this album."
Track Listings (8) - Disc #1