Has it only been ten years since the release of Tiger Moth Tales' album Cocoon? In my perception, the great man behind this thoroughly English project, Pete Jones, has been part of the prog rock community for much longer. As I wrote in a previous review, his name comes up so often when discussing a new release that you wonder how he is able to spare all this time. However, nothing could be further from the truth and so we get the chance to listen to this memorable debut album again, in an anniversary version. What's different? Although I have studied the included information several times, I cannot find anything about whether the tracks have been re-recorded or remastered. It is clear that a track has been added, namely Return to Chigwick and that seems to be a sequel to the already existing song A Visit to Chigwick but I will come back to this later. When the album Cocoon (see review) was released in 2014, it was immediately clear that we could welcome a great talent because what Jones created, almost on his own, was very impressive. He plays almost everything himself and does it so well that you have no idea that you are listening to a one man band. The fact that Pete is blind only makes the admiration grow. Yet it is already clear that the keys and the saxophone are his favourite and therefore most chosen instruments. The fact that he has been asked as a keyboardist and singer, because he does that excellently too, for prog great Camel says enough about his abilities. For those who don't know the album yet, I can say that it shows a very typical English sound. The structure is also classical, in the sense that in the form of the four seasons we are always presented with some short instrumental interludes between the often longer tracks. The logical opening is provided by the almost five-minute Overture, a busy instrumental track with swirling keys, after which we dive into spring. The first long track is The Isle Of Witches, an epic about a made, and of course violated, agreement between witches and humanity to leave each other alone. The largely instrumental piece contains some distorted spoken text and does not yet show the warm singing voice of Jones. Musically there is a lot to enjoy and Pete shows that he can also play some really good guitar parts but it is clear that the keys dominate. For lovers of the saxophone, there is also a lot to enjoy. Sincerely a musical all-rounder. After the summer we get the almost fifteen minutes long Tigers In The Butter, for the first time we hear how good Jones' voice is. No wonder he is a much sought-after guest vocalist. The music reminds me of another project by a talented keyboard player, namely Robert Reed's Cyan. We hear some Indian-like sounds and melodies and again keyboard parts in all shapes and sizes. Before we go to autumn, we get The first Lament that starts with a melody played on flute that has a Celtic feel to it, after which the guitar takes over. A wonderful instrumental song develops and actually we hear a minute-long guitar solo on a bed of floating keys that is distantly reminiscent of the song Ice by Camel. As said, Jones can do that too. After some summery sound fragments, we get the rather unusual song The Merry Vicar in which Jones recites some lyrics in a kind of Peter Gabriel style and the aforementioned English sense of humour provides some nice entertainment. Quite intense music here and there. A Visit To Chigwick starts with opening a bottle of beer, I think, and after a sigh the acoustic guitar takes over and Jones sings about the village of Chigwick with a great sense of nostalgia. Here we hear, very clearly, Genesis at the time of Trick Of The Tail. After some winter winding, the last song of the regular release follows and with more than thirteen minutes that is a worthy closing song and here too we get to hear a mix of Genesis and Camel influenced themes. Dont Let Go, Feels Allright Jones sings and let's do that, let's not let go of Tiger Moth Tales and in hindsight we know that many more great releases would follow. The bonus track Return To Chigwick is an autobiographical song in which Jones thanks the "Mothingtons" for the ten years they have remained loyal to him. It fits the style of the album well and is therefore a worthy addition. As with most re-releases, for those who already own the album, the question is whether the bonus track is enough reason to buy the album again, but for those who don't have or don't know the album yet, this can be the reason to get acquainted with Pete Jones and his Tiger Moth Tales. ***+ Erik Fraanje (edited by Tracy van Os van den Abeelen) Where to buy? |
