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1. Transporter
2. Resident
3. Easy for You to Say
4. Prelude
5. Nostalgia
6. Walking from Pastel
7. Turn it Over
8. Green Face
9. Who My Friends
10. Colour Code
11. Listen to Reason
12. Through the Glass
13. Transporter 2
Eddie Jobson - vocals (tracks 2,3,7,8,9,11,12,
keyboards, el.violin,
music, lyrics)
Gary Green (of Gentle Giant) - guitars
Jerry Watts - bass
Michael Barsimanto - drums
Unfortunately, U.K., the brightest flash of the "third wave" of Progressive split in the fall of 1979. And while waiting for their reunion album "Legacy" (Jobson, Wetton, plus Bruford, Hackett, and Bulgarian female Church Choir), we can take a look at Eddie Jobson's career after his departure from Jethro Tull (1980, album) and Yes (1981-1982 approx.). In 1983 Eddie left England for New York City to form his own "Zinc Studio" (where "Legacy" is in the mixing process). Unlike Jobson's second entirely solo album, quiet and dark, absolutely instrumental "Themes of secret" (1985), most compositions from "The Green Album" are provided with his vocals. The album. The first track Transporter is just a very short instrumental synth-passage, which moves into the song Resident with pure modern-at-the-time sound. Based on a highly heavy rhythm section this one contains various good keyboard arrangements and some psychodelic moments. In my opinion, Eddie's voice is excellent and original. Easy for You to Say begins gently with interplays between keyboards and classical acoustic guitar, and vocals appear over the theme the next minute. Very nice dramatic Prog-ballad. Prelude is an instrumental piece with original masterly piano passages. Next, Nostalgia continues the instrumental part of the album by soft, gentle, exalted classics-oriented interplays between piano and violin. Then, a "spacey" Walking from Pastel with synth and violin not unlike the previous track, though sound is more "modern"for the early 80's. Three good pieces from Maestro alone. In Turn it Over rock sound is restored and guitar together with mighty keyboards play a prominent role here, and in the middle comes a short original violin solo. The next Green Face is brewed in the same direction, but with slightly more straightforward vocals parts. Instrumental arrangements, made by keyboards and cello are incredible, though. Who My Friends is the best track on the album. The most complex and enthralling, with lots of various arrangements of keyboards, violins and guitar, this is one of the most interesting songs in the 80's. True Prog-masterpiece. Colour Code is a psychodelic intro with futuristic keyboards for Listen to Reason, which is structurally close to the other vocal tracks. Here you find numerous magnificent violin solos with vast, spacey keyboards arrangements nearer to the end. Through the Glass begins with a quiet long instrumental keyboards intro. This song contains more various themes than other rock-oriented tracks of the album with outstanding interplays between all instruments in the last part. Both Transporters are simply "premature twins", intro and outro, though picked out as separate songs.
Summary. This is a highly obscure, but exceptionally good album from the "dark ages" of
the prog of the 80's. Much better than "Under Wraps" of Jethro Tull or "The Final Cut" of
Pink Floyd. The level of complexity can be compared to Yes' "90125", though the latter work
is way brighter. Stylistically "The Green Album" is outstanding, it has no parallels at all,
even with U.K. On the whole, this work shows quiet accesible Classic Prog, typical for that
time, and that stylistics may be called, for example, high-quality "pre-Neo". Released on
LP by "EMI-Capitol", CD-reissue made by "One Way Records" (USA).
VM. 31.12.1998 |
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