A Great Idea - A Missed Opportunity
Chris Seeman | Novato, CA USA | 03/18/2003
(3 out of 5 stars)
"It may come as a shock to aficionados of _The Lord of the Rings_ that no retrospective compilation of Tolkien-inspired music has ever been unleashed upon the world. Until now.David Wells, the think-tank behind _Wizards and Demons_, describes this CD in the following terms: "Our compilation, which is primarily intended to celebrate the latest wave of increased interest in Tolkien, takes as its theme the epic journey undertaken by Frodo Baggins and Sam Gamgee, attempting to portray their allegorical adventures through the music of the [late '60s and early '70s] period."Tolkien would no doubt have taken issue with the description of his work as "allegorical," but it is certainly a fitting description of the present compilation. Out of a total of 14 tracks, only 5 have any discernable relation to Tolkien's mythology _in the intention of the artists in question_. The remaining songs have nothing to do with Middle-earth, in spite of Wells' lame excuse that they "are merely indebted to the overall mood and influence" of Tolkien. Instead, they have been inserted as allegories of _The Lord of the Rings_. In the case of instrumental tracks, this is neither here nor there. But in the case of "Sam" by Quiet World or "The Mutant" by Trader Horne, the lyrical content seems out of place.Not that any of these songs are bad. But their inclusion in lieu of genuine Tolkien-inspired music gives one the impression that the arrangers of this compilation were at a loss to find enough material to fill a CD. This impression is, of course, false. There are scores of Tolkien-inspired artists from the '60s and '70s who might have been represented here: The Hobbits, Alan Jack Civilization, The Magic Ring, Neighb'rhood Childr'n, Pearls Before Swine, Argent, Avalon, Camel, Gandalf the Grey (yes, there was actually an artist named Gandalf!), Barclay James Harvest, Hank Marvin, Mountain, Clifford T. Ward, Twink - not to mention Zeppelin and Rush. The exclusion of this rich legacy is a missed opportunity that marrs an otherwise great idea.Despite this criticism, Wizards and Demons is a worthy effort. It will save collectors the bother of purchasing five separate albums, some of them very hard to find. For myself, the pinnacle of this compilation was Sam Gopal's "The Dark Lord." I had never heard of this 1968 song, but now that I have, I name it one of my top ten Tolkien songs of the '60s. The lyrics display an intimate acquaintance with the text of _The Lord of the Rings_, and the proto-doom rock sound - with vocals by Lemmy!! - really made the whole thing worthwhile."
Track Listings (14) - Disc #1