Search - Curtiss & Maldoon :: Sepheryn: The Definitive Collection [Ray Of Light]

Fine Music From the Early 1970's.

Morten Vindberg | Denmark | 07/12/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Curtiss-Maldoon was a pretty obscure British duo which released two albums on Purple records during 1971-73. Both members were prolific songwriters and both albums feauture only original songs from members Dave Curtiss and Clive Maldoon.



Musically they could be compared to other early 1970's bands like Badfinger, Brinsley Swartz and Mott the Hoople ( the rockier side ) or Honeybus ( on the softer side ). Working with people like like Steve Howe ( Yes ), Bruce Thomas ( Attractions ) and Roy Dyke ( Ashton, Gardner & Dyke ) they have been secured a (minor) place in the history of rock. Madonna's cover of one of the songs from their first album and turning it into the hit that the band never managed to achieve themselves also helps to keep their memory alive.



Madonna changed their song "Sepheryn" into "Ray of Light" and made it a top-ten hit.



On their first album from 1971 they really sound like a band with heavy support from skilled musical friends. The album is musically varied with rockers and ballads - folk, country, pop and rock in a pleasant mixture. Stand-outs are the opener "Man From Afghanistan" a Troggs/Easybeats - type of a simple rocker with a great drive.



Among the softer songs "Ibiza Beach Song" and "Sepheryn" are the most memorable - both half-acoustic tracks ala Magna Carta or Honeybus.



On a couple of the slow rock-ballads the singer might remind you of the young Ian Hunter.



4 bonus-tracks are added from their early sessions; all fine recordings which would have fitted nice into the album; especially the Gram Parsons inspired "Ah It's a Feeling" should have been included in the first place.



The approach on the second album is much softer, and the album comes out almost as a folk-album. The songs are still generally good with the first two tracks "Ballad of Lots of Road" and "You Were a Friend" as the standouts.



One bonus-track from the final days is Clive Maldoon's demo "On My Own Again" - a beatiful closing track to a very nice compilation from one the numerous acts in music history that had the potentials to make it big, but never did.



Fine booklet with a lot of information about their musical careers."