Prog fanatic
znodog | nyc, usa | 05/23/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This is for the fanatic, if you played this for someone and told them it was a new alternative prog-metal band from Sweden they would believe you. Guitar sounds are a little retro sounding by todays standards. But the keyboards and drums are way ahead of thier time.Patrick Moraz and other members went on to better things, But this primitive monster could have been a big threat with the high energy take on classical-rock they were brewing up here, really worth a listen for the fanatic....."
Prog with a pre-Refugee and pre-Yes Patrick Moraz
BENJAMIN MILER | Veneta, Oregon | 10/24/2003
(4 out of 5 stars)
"While it's pretty well known that when two members of The Nice, Brian Davison and Lee Jackson wanted to reform, they knew right away they couldn't get a hold of Keith Emerson, especially since he was doing just fine with ELP. So they found a Swiss-born keyboardist by the name of Patrick Moraz to fill in Emerson's shoes. The band decided to call themselves Refugee, since they figured it couldn't be The Nice without Emerson, and released their one and only album in 1974 on Charisma. Of course Refugee would quickly dissolve, with Moraz replacing Rick Wakeman in Yes, and then later on, filling in Mike Pinder's shoes with the Moody Blues. Prior to Refugee, Moraz was a member of Mainhorse, which also featured Jean Ristori (who was also Swiss, like Moraz) on bass and cello, Peter Lockett on guitars and vocals, and Byrson Graham on drums. Ristori would later play on some of Moraz's solo albums (such as The Story of "i"). Mainhorse released their one and only album in 1971 on Polydor (the album also had an American release on the small budget label called Import Records). While Moraz was well known for using tons of keyboards, here he only uses organ, piano, electric piano, and I presume a VCS-3 synthesizer. The music is rather typical organ-driven prog rock, as you expect from the British scene of the time, so it's a bit lacking in originality. At times they remind me a bit of The Nice, especially in the keyboard department. Many of the songs tend to be energetic like "Introduction" and "Such a Beatiful Day". There is also a ballad called "Passing Years" as well. "Pale Sky" starts off quite similar to "Passing Years" but then the music added on a lengthy solo as well, getting out some unique organ sounds. The second half of the album is pretty much the same, so you know pretty much what to expect. The album ends with the sound of shattering glass, which Moraz did again on the Refugee album and on Yes' Relayer. The Mainhorse album is a historical album, as this was the earliest album Moraz recorded. It falls short of being essential only because it doesn't give you any new surprises for those in to early British prog, but if you like that kind of music, you'll like this album."
Track Listings (7) - Disc #1