This is the second album from a relatively short lived jazz fusion combo, who were built around the talents of drummer John Hiseman and the incredible guitar of Gary Moore. For Moore, this was sandwiched in between his stints in Thin Lizzy. Moore has always been chameleon like in following trends in rock music, and this music was made for him to show his talents. Every song is a bit of a widdle fest, and a drummer’s showcase, as chops are flying in all directions.
Opening track, Put It This Way, is an out and out jam fest with some serious playing. All Skin And Bone is more of a groovy track with a nice funk rock vibe where Hiseman shows how many different things he can hit in the shortest space of time. Rivers is a slow blues/jazz piece with a vocal by Moore, and lots of really tasty guitar. Last track on Side 1 is The Scorch, and it most certainly does. A very spacey synth intros the tune, and we go into an all most classical piece before drum and guitar savagery take over.
Lament opens up Side 2 and it has a very Celtic vibe to the piece, which Moore would revisit later in his solo career. Desperado follows and is quite a wild fusion piece with lots of mirroring from all players. Am I is a slower jazz vibe with some really nice guitar from Gary, before we get to album closer Intergalactic Strut – and it most certainly does strut. A great riff and groove and some monster playing.
There is probably more of Gary’s solos on these three albums than on most of his solo albums. If you are a Moore fan then this is for you.
8.5/10 from The Grooveman.
