A Review of The Grand Theatre
The Grand Theatre Review:
Blockbuster:
M’Lords, Ladies, gentlemen and sundry hoi palloi: Welcome to Messrs Woods & Powell’s brand new production intended for your aural delight and listening pleasure! Incidentally, if the song title suggests The Sweet track of the same name, you are on the wrong track - indeed the wrong album and genre for that matter! Blockbuster begins with the ghost of early Klause Schulze onstage as the piece enters a spooky phase reminiscent of cobwebs and rust before the entrance stage left of Colin’s familiar guitar laying down a laid back riff over Doug’s keys. Then the chug begins leading to the tracks meat and two veg moment as the whole caboodle lifts of into clear airspace before coasting - no gliding - to its (apparent) velvet denouement. But wait! What is this? A beautifully ponderous riff develops and blockbuster is complete.
The Get In:
“Open the doors! Let the punters in!” Thus the rush to find seats, refreshments, buy programs and order interval drinks commences. It is hot. Sticky. Anticipation builds and excitement mounts brought to life by a very Hammond sounding organ playing beautifully clean lines
Opening Night:
Delicately poised from the start with the previous organ providing the piece winds down to a beautiful acoustic piano accompaniment courtesy of Colin Powell. This is indeed Opening Night. The staccato piano bass quickly moves from jazzy gentility to good old fashioned Prog rock ’n’ roll as first positions are taken and the stage begins to bounce beneath beautiful rhythmic feet. Rehearsals are ended; overture and beginners please. We’re off…!
The Audience Is Waiting:
Aah! The roar of the greasepaint! The smell of the crowd! All styles served here. Doug’s synth plays a familiar theme before the entry of the choral interlude and main theme. Is that dry ice crawling over the edge of the stage? Or merely Banquo’s spectre out for a night on the tiles? Perhaps we will never know? And then at last the band take the stage and the show begins, just as it always did. Just as it always will.
Proscenium Arch:
Grandiose. Majestic. Regal. The Entry of the Queen of Sheba? Nope. Not this time. More a trip down Memory Lane (might that even be Memorex lane? If you are of a certain vintage you’ll remember what I mean…) Afro cuban style percussion carries synth and guitar along in style as the riffs come and go with enduring but uncluttered precision.
Red Velvet:
It’s curtains guys! Like any good revelation (for what is theatre if not revelation?) a swirliing, sometimes swooping, ascending, descending, coruscating invigorating potpourri of delicious sound.
Lights:
It’s said that all things work together for good and that is certainly true of this piece. A slice of retro rock with its feet stuck firmly in the twenty-first century this is a belter featuring a sax line which rolls back the years and would simply sound excellent anywhere a horn is blown and a foot is tapped. People do still tap their feet, no? Its been so long dear boy…
Periactus:
You can always rely on Doug and Colin to further your general education; Periactus: In the Greek theater, a revolving prismatic apparatus with a different scene painted on each of the three sides in some simple way. And that friends is a better description of this track than your scribe will ever come up with. Enjoy. Especially if ‘A Trick of the Tail’ and ‘Wind and Wuthering’ Genesis is your preferred cup of tea.
Exit Stage Left:
Part of Shakespeare’s most talked about stage direction (from ‘A Winter’s Tale’) provides the title for this little gem which sits prettily at the three-quarter point of our heroes opus. ‘Exit Stage Left’ begins a cluster of four tracks which - should in my opinion - be locked together forever as the true high point of this collection As a point of interest the whereabouts of the Bard’s missing ursine friend are unknown at this point…
That’s show biz i suppose.
And now (whether you forgive me or not) these are the words these tracks inspire…
The Fade/ Old Actors/ Curtain Call:
And so, the show is over
The audience departs
They are not the same as earlier
Some now understand their parts
Better than before
They walked in through the door
Better than before they applauded from the floor.
And Old Actors
Take their well earned bow
Well rehearsed and brimming bonhomie
They recall their lines
Penned by those whose lives and times
Old Actors gave the gift of life: Once upon a stage in time.
Curtain Call:
Beautiful. Lush. Sentimental? Very occasionally words are not enough. This is one of those occasions. Sometimes things really do come to a natural end.
Postscript; I can’t speak for anyone but me but this album will see me through the autumn quite nicely thank you.
Adieu Gentlemen! Until the next time and thanks again.
TheAardvarkguy
2019
