Music Banter - View Single Post - I know what I like: Trollheart's History of Progressive Rock and Progressive Metal

Trollheart · 06-09-2021, 10:05 AM

Album title: Act One
Artist: Beggar’s Opera
Nationality: Scottish
Label: Vertigo
Chronology: Debut
Grade: B
Previous Experience of this Artist: Zero
The Trollheart Factor: 0
Landmark value: I’m not sure. As they seem to have been mostly passed over in favour of bigger bands, probably not that much really.
Tracklisting: Poet and Peasant/Passacaglia/Memory/Raymond’s Road/Light Cavalry
Comments: A band who, though quite active in the prog scene of the seventies, seem to have been passed over a little by history. Could be due to their hailing from Scotland, which wasn’t exactly bursting with a prog scene at the time, or maybe not. The song titles certainly give you a feeling of mid-eighteenth to early nineteenth century, throwing in a flavour of the country gentleman espoused by the image of bands like Jethro Tull, and when the opener gets going it’s very organ-driven, running at a good pace until a very declamatory vocal comes in, a little harsh for my tastes. Good proggy track though; I feel the vocal lets it down. Now where have I said that before? It’s not that Martin Griffiths is a bad singer, I just think he’s articulating a little too forcefully here.

“Passacaglia” (huh?) improves considerably on the vocal, far more restrained, with a sweet guitar track though again riding invariably on the banks of keyboards from Alan Park, particularly the well-used organ. You certainly can’t ignore Ricky Gardiner’s fine fretwork though, put through its paces here in the midsection of the song. The problems with the vocal return with “Memory”, which is a much shorter song but has more singing than the last one, and suffers greatly, in my opinion, for it. The keys aren’t even as good in this one. The final two tracks are epics, nearly twelve minutes each, and “Raymond’s Road” kicks off with a fine sprightly keyboard run, a galloping bass line and, well, they throw in Mozart’s “Turkish Rondo”, Bach’s “Toccata and Fugue”, and possibly some other classical standards along the way.

Unfortunately, this, while clever and interesting, is not original, and only begs comparisons with The Nice and ELP, and while the Emerson-led trio only have their debut out this same year, he has been doing this sort of thing with the Nice since the late sixties, so you can’t help but think Beggar’s Opera are copying his style, and perhaps hoping to profit off being linked with the keyboard madman. I don’t think it worked though. Still, give them their due: it’s not all left up to Park to carry the tune, and Gardiner rips off some impressive solos and figures himself. Five minutes in now and you have to wonder if there are going to be any vocals?

I think I hear Ravel’s “Bolero” in there too, and you have to give credit to the rhythm section for keeping it all so tight. It’s probably the best on the album so far. They certainly improvise well around the classical tunes, I might venture to say better than I’ve heard ELP or The Nice, indeed. Nine minutes in now, and clearly this is an instrumental. There’s the “William Tell Overture” - you can almost play “spot the classical piece” here! Oh and now we have “In the Hall of the Mountain King” - Grieg would be proud I’m sure. This is three years before ELO would rework the piece for their album On the Third Day; whether they got the idea from Beggar’s Opera or not I don’t know.

The final track then is, as I say, another twelve-minuter (well, both fall a few seconds short, but we won’t quibble over that) as “Light Cavalry” again utilises to the full the wizardly fingers of Alan Park on the ivories. Sadly this turns out not to also be an instrumental, the vocals sort of ruining what was shaping up to be a very good piece, and making, I think, the very clear point that, certainly at least on this album, Beggar’s Opera work much better as an instrumental band rather than one with vocals, also perhaps providing a further link towards their contemporaries ELP.

Favourite track(s): Raymond’s Road
Least favourite track(s): Memory
Overall impression: As an instrumental band, these guys take some beating. Unfortunately for them, they insist on having a singer, and to my ears he’s really not up to the job. Perhaps we’ve uncovered the reason why Beggar’s Opera never achieved the same glory as bigger prog bands.
Personal Rating:

Legacy Rating:

Final Rating:

06-09-2021, 10:05 AM	#216 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,970	Album title: Act One Artist: Beggar’s Opera Nationality: Scottish Label: Vertigo Chronology: Debut Grade: B Previous Experience of this Artist: Zero The Trollheart Factor: 0 Landmark value: I’m not sure. As they seem to have been mostly passed over in favour of bigger bands, probably not that much really. Tracklisting: Poet and Peasant/Passacaglia/Memory/Raymond’s Road/Light Cavalry Comments: A band who, though quite active in the prog scene of the seventies, seem to have been passed over a little by history. Could be due to their hailing from Scotland, which wasn’t exactly bursting with a prog scene at the time, or maybe not. The song titles certainly give you a feeling of mid-eighteenth to early nineteenth century, throwing in a flavour of the country gentleman espoused by the image of bands like Jethro Tull, and when the opener gets going it’s very organ-driven, running at a good pace until a very declamatory vocal comes in, a little harsh for my tastes. Good proggy track though; I feel the vocal lets it down. Now where have I said that before? It’s not that Martin Griffiths is a bad singer, I just think he’s articulating a little too forcefully here. “Passacaglia” (huh?) improves considerably on the vocal, far more restrained, with a sweet guitar track though again riding invariably on the banks of keyboards from Alan Park, particularly the well-used organ. You certainly can’t ignore Ricky Gardiner’s fine fretwork though, put through its paces here in the midsection of the song. The problems with the vocal return with “Memory”, which is a much shorter song but has more singing than the last one, and suffers greatly, in my opinion, for it. The keys aren’t even as good in this one. The final two tracks are epics, nearly twelve minutes each, and “Raymond’s Road” kicks off with a fine sprightly keyboard run, a galloping bass line and, well, they throw in Mozart’s “Turkish Rondo”, Bach’s “Toccata and Fugue”, and possibly some other classical standards along the way. Unfortunately, this, while clever and interesting, is not original, and only begs comparisons with The Nice and ELP, and while the Emerson-led trio only have their debut out this same year, he has been doing this sort of thing with the Nice since the late sixties, so you can’t help but think Beggar’s Opera are copying his style, and perhaps hoping to profit off being linked with the keyboard madman. I don’t think it worked though. Still, give them their due: it’s not all left up to Park to carry the tune, and Gardiner rips off some impressive solos and figures himself. Five minutes in now and you have to wonder if there are going to be any vocals? I think I hear Ravel’s “Bolero” in there too, and you have to give credit to the rhythm section for keeping it all so tight. It’s probably the best on the album so far. They certainly improvise well around the classical tunes, I might venture to say better than I’ve heard ELP or The Nice, indeed. Nine minutes in now, and clearly this is an instrumental. There’s the “William Tell Overture” - you can almost play “spot the classical piece” here! Oh and now we have “In the Hall of the Mountain King” - Grieg would be proud I’m sure. This is three years before ELO would rework the piece for their album On the Third Day; whether they got the idea from Beggar’s Opera or not I don’t know. The final track then is, as I say, another twelve-minuter (well, both fall a few seconds short, but we won’t quibble over that) as “Light Cavalry” again utilises to the full the wizardly fingers of Alan Park on the ivories. Sadly this turns out not to also be an instrumental, the vocals sort of ruining what was shaping up to be a very good piece, and making, I think, the very clear point that, certainly at least on this album, Beggar’s Opera work much better as an instrumental band rather than one with vocals, also perhaps providing a further link towards their contemporaries ELP. Favourite track(s): Raymond’s Road Least favourite track(s): Memory Overall impression: As an instrumental band, these guys take some beating. Unfortunately for them, they insist on having a singer, and to my ears he’s really not up to the job. Perhaps we’ve uncovered the reason why Beggar’s Opera never achieved the same glory as bigger prog bands. Personal Rating: Legacy Rating: Final Rating: __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018