Glass Reviewed - iOPages

GLASS
No Stranger To The Skies
(RELENTLESS PURSUIT RECORDS RD4128)

According to the American trio Glass, the internet played a major role to the revival of progressive rock music nowadays. This led to the fact that a lot of old and almost forgotten bands released their music on a CD. Most of the time for the first time. Even a couple of them, like Glass, became inspired to write new material and did a couple of concerts. Glass already played on the Baja Prog 2002 Festival and ProgWest. Glass was formed in the early seventies and split up in 1977. In those days and also nowadays the band consists of Jeff Sherman (bass, guitars & keyboards), Jerry Cook (drums) and Greg Sherman (keyboards). The music is instrumental and keyboards orientated but it is not dominated by keyboards. So don't expect any keyboard eruptions that sound like ELP. Names that came to my mind while I was listening were Schicke, Führs and Fröhling because they also used the mellotron a lot. Happy The Man also came to my mind because of the jazz rock link. The first disc contains studio recordings and the second one contains live recordings. On the title track you can already hear the mentioned combination: Atmospheric progressive rock music with a lot of room for electric piano and mellotron (strings and flute). The melodic 'Myopic Stream" shows how great Greg Sherman is on his grand piano. The most important piece of the first disc is "For Ursula Major And Sirius The Dog Star". A jazzy written song with a thin synthesizer solo (read: not effects are used). The second disc opens with mellow mellotron parts which reminded me of the early King Crimson albums. Different pianos take a important role in the music. Strong is the pumping bass work played by Jeff Sherman. On "Childhood Reflections" we again hear those great mellotron flutes. The most surprising track I find "Patrice Mersault's Dream"with again some influences of King Crimson. Glass did a great job to release this music on CD. Iam very curious how their new music is going to sound. Relentless Pursuit Records, PO Box 1649, Ojai CA 93024-1649 USA; www.rpursuit.com/glass/index.asp.
Paul Rijkens