I've owned this album a long time, and in all honesty I don't think it's influence on prog bands of the 70's can be understated. Vocalist
Roger Chapman in particular is considered to be a huge influence on
Peter Gabriel,
Van Der Graaf Generator and also the band
Gentle Giant. He may sound like an electrified billy goat, but he stands out so strongly that you can't help but hear strains of him in everything that would come afterwards. Hell, this album beats out
In The Court Of The Crimson King by nearly twelve months, yet you can hear so many little touches that characterize the genre in these fifteen songs, especially on strange, Mellotron drenched cuts like 'Mellowing Grey' or the bizarre instrumental experimentation of 'Voyage'. Riveting stuff!
While this isn't an album I revisit all too often due to only being able to handle so much Roger Chapman at one time (lol!), this is definitely essential listening for any aspiring proghead, if for nothing else the fact you'll get some perspective on where the genre began to coalesce into something recognizably its own.
10/10