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Anteater · 05-03-2010, 04:24 PM

Rare Bird – Epic Forest (1972)

"Rock n' soul in the forest of old where the crows fly high and the gods grow mold."

1. Baby Listen (3:25)
2. Hey Man (5:53)
3. House In The City (4:25)
4. Epic Forest (9:12)
5. Turning The Lights Out (4:38)
6. Her Darkest Hour (3:33)
7. Fears Of The Night (3:17)
8. Turn It All Around (4:43)
9. Title No. 1 Again (Birdman) (6:05)

Along with bands such as The Nice and Van der Graaf Generator, Rare Bird are one of progressive rock's earliest acts to become relatively popular amongst music fans at the turn of the decade. Their 1969 single 'Sympathy', a dark yet oddly catchy organ led track, sold nearly 1 million copies worldwide by 1971 in and of itself...

..and yet, it's unfortunate, then, that the band was dismissed as a one hit wonder afterwards. This is because their 1972 release, Epic Forest, is one of the catchier and more interesting rock albums of the decade, soulful and electric in all the best possible ways. And the vocals...dayum!

One of the first things you may notice as the thumping 'Baby Listen' takes off is the rhythm section: it's high in the mix, yet doesn't shove the other elements of the sound aside. Rather, it's warm and buttery to the ears, much like a classic Motown single. The punchy drums in particular make a wonderful impression; the only question is...why wasn't this a single?

In any case, an interesting trait emerges out of the woodwork over the course of the album: Epic Forest is often a strangely relaxed affair, with some tracks sitting in an odd yet compellingly murky place between CSN&Y and a Blue Oyster Cult or Zeppelin at their quieter, acoustic moments..with prettier singing. In these sparser moments, such as 'Her Darkest Hour' and parts of "Turn It All Around', the vocal harmonies are spotlighted and kicked up a notch, benefited by some of the best production values of the early 70's.

The real meat of the album, however, is laid bare on two epic pieces that serve as something of a see-saw for the rest of the songs - the roaring title track, which picks up quite a bit of power as it sets itself in for a 9 minute run, and the closing miniature 'Title No. 1 Again (Birdman)' which starts to shred wickedly about 2 minutes in before morphing into something that wouldn't be out of place in The Yes Album in structure, but with the steel guitar punch of a classic Deep Purple workout. For me at least, these two tracks make the album: the lengths are justified by the talent displayed here, letting the band build up to climaxes that would make even jazz-fusion ensembles jealous.

At the end of the day, Rare Bird most certainly fall into the area that people of today's generation would refer to as 'classic rock'...and yet on this album there was a sense of balance and congruity that detractors normally say isn't there in arguments of why the 70's were overblown and outrageous.

Simply put, this is amazing rock-oriented music: more intricate than the stuff your parents like, but not the point where it's inaccessible by anyone with an ear for a riff today. The recent remaster has also knocked what minor chinks there were in the production back then and added some great bonus tracks to boot!

So, what are you waiting for? Check out the Bird today!