FIELDS - FIELDS 1971

When Graham Field left Rare Bird after the classic "As Your Mind Flies By" he immediately formed his own group. He signed a deal with CBS, and got Alan Barry on guitar and bass and former King Crimson-member Andy McCulloch on drums. Their self-titled debut turned out to be their only album, but it's a minor classic of early British, 70's song-oriented and organ-based progressive rock. Already from the powerful opening chords of "A Friend of Mine" you'll know you're in for yet another one of those many lesser-known but excellent progressive rock records from the 70's. Field's unique and varied sounds on the organ are easily recognizable from Rare Bird, but Fields managed to develop a style of their own. The songs are tighter and more compact, and Barry is a quite different singer from Graham Gould. One of the best songs on the album is the earlier mentioned opener "A Friend of Mine". It starts with Field's ultra-heavy organ-chords before it goes into a very classical-sounding part that evolves into a powerful theme, before the somewhat dramatic vocal part of the song appears. Other highlights includes the structurally similar "Over and Over Again" and the medieval-sounding "Three Minstrels". The inclusion of Mellotron on the instrumental "The Eagles" gives it a symphonic sound and lift that gives the album a very worthy finale. Tracks like "While the Sun Still Shine" and "Not So Good" are maybe of a less complex kind, but the strong melodies and great 70's arrangements makes them a joy to listen to. (http://vintageprog.com/)



Tracks :

1. A Friend Of Mine (4:23)
2. While The Sun Still Shines (3:10)
3. Not The Sun Still Shines (3:04)
4. Three Minstrels (4:22)
5. Slow Susan (3:29)
6. Over And Over Again (5:47)
7. Feelin' Free (3:09)
8. Fair-Haired Lady (2:57)
9. A Place To Lay My Head (3:30)
10. The Eagle (5:12)

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Artwork Included