5 Stars
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What is progressive rock? Well, it’s when you grow up and stop worrying about what the band looks like and start listening to the music.
My British Bulldog friends Grey Lady Down are a fine example with their neo-progressive sound. Hailing from Oxford, England, the five-piece were at first called Shadowland but were forced to change their name due to another band already carrying that moniker. They decided upon Grey Lady Down after the action/submarine B movie starring Charlton Heston. They strove for a more direct aggressive, and some would say, accessible sound than some of their contemporaries—lots of loud guitars and keyboards in a musical structure that contains many long instrumental passages.
The opening railway announcements are followed by lead vocalist Martin Wilson calling you, all aboard for the “12.02”, a rollicking ditty about taking the last train home, then waking up the next day and trying to remember what happened. Ring any bells, anybody?
Lead guitarist Jules Hunt was quickly turning into the latest axe hero. Within the studio recordings, he was the perfect team player, keeping his contributions within the structure of the songs, with dazzling solos but short and sweet. He became a very different beast on the live stage—unleashing rampaging solos pushing the band way past the outer limits. The boy was destined for far greater achievements, but after the next album, Forces (1995), he was forced to take some time out from the band for personal reasons. He was to return to the fold later.
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Louis David was a mercurial keyboard player and personality. He had a unique style on the keyboards, way ahead of his time, and his playing suited Grey Lady Down, making him a dominant player.
The song ‘The Crime’ is split up into two sections, just as well really, otherwise it would be over 25 minutes long. The second of which brings the music to its dramatic conclusion.
All the way through The Crime, Mark Robotham’s drums have the technique of Bill Bruford, but with a very heavy thump behind them. Sean Spear (wonderful name) was a bass player far better built for heavy metal, but fortunately, nobody ever told him. He always gave Grey Lady Down an enormous amount of wallop. Together they were as solid as British steel, being twice as heavy as some newer heavy metal bands.
During the song ‘Annabel,’ where the band actually sounds happy, Grey Lady Down’s lead guitarist Jules Hunt is allowed to slip the leash and really go for the top, which he screams past, leaving you is no doubt as to the musical prowess of this band.
The Crime by Grey Lady Down was released in 1994 on the Cyclops record label, who have since released another four more Grey Lady Down CDs, including the magnificent double live CD, The Time of Our Lives (with all three parts of The Crime put together to ride out to 40 minutes).
The same year as this album was released, the Classic Rock Society voted Grey Lady Down as Best New Band and The Crime as the 3rd best album of the year. The future looked extremely bright.
Sadly, with lineup upheavals, both Jules Hunt and Louis David had gone within the year. Replacements were brought in and the band soldiered on. Loyalty to Malcolm Parker may well have cost the band, too. As Cyclops could not give them sufficient support to push them forward, a major label would have been able to do that. In the early years, every band needs a good push support-wise. Not only was The Crime Cyclops’ first release, Grey Lady Down were the top-selling artist on the label, so to have left would’ve sunk the Cyclops ship. Not wishing to torpedo the label, they stayed until the bitter end.
Martin Wilson now fronts The Room, a fine progressive rock band who broke into the mainstream with their magnificent third album, Caught By The Machine (2021).
Written by Mott The Dog.
Photos supplied by Mark Robotham and Paul Young.
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