View from the Bar
gathers highlights from
Network
's first four albums, following the group through relatively straightforward,
Return to Forever
-style
fusion
(
"L.21"
) to harder-edged work incorporating a more improvisational sound (
"S.O.S."
). Drummer
Steve Clarke
and trumpeter
Ted Emmett
seem to be the real stars here; they're particularly effective on
"More Speed Darling?,"
which breaks away from the all-cylinders noodling and lets
Emmett
solo over a skittering bassline and some frenetic snare work from
Clarke
.
does have a tendency to be too dense for the casual listener. The nearly ten-minute
"Always in Our Thoughts"
begins as a gritty
blues-rock
jam, and though it keeps that groove going, its immediacy is lost in a foggy, extended solo midsection. This is definitely music for music heads.
also features guitarist
Tim Crowther
, the keyboards of
Pete Jacobsen
and
Steve Franklyn
, and a rotating lineup of bassists that includes
Nick Stephens
Laurence Cottle
. A CD-ROM video of
is also included. ~ Johnny Loftus