Good for completists and die-hard fans only.
Jeffery K. Matheus | Indianapolis, IN United States | 07/19/2000
(2 out of 5 stars)
"If you are looking into the music of Pendragon for the first time, then this is the wrong album to start with! Anyone new to the band should start with the bands most recent studio albums "The Masquerade Overture", "The Window of Life", or perhaps if you prefer live albums try "Live in Krakow". Any of those aforementioned albums show Pendragon in all their emotional prog-rock glory! However, "Once Upon a Time In England" is a collection of early demos, rare tracks, and some assorted live recordings from the bands humble beginnings. Long-standing band-members Clive Nolan and Fudge Smith were not around yet when most of these recordings were made. This two volume set is something that will appeal to those die-hard fans who already have every other Pendragon album firmly in their collection, but will do little to promote a great first impression for the uninitiated! The live tracks are the best here, with some well-recorded concert versions of familiar songs like "The Black Knight" and "Victims of Life", as well as a great little live rarity called "Stan and Ollie". (This one should be worth the price of admission for the true fanatics) However, some of the earliest studio tracks suffer from poor sound quality, and under-production. Some of the better studio pieces include alternate "demo" versions of songs from their 1987 album "Kowtow", and some atmosphereic instrumentals which show off Nick Barrett's guitar work. All in all, not a bad "rarities" package for the die-hard collector, but the poor sound quality on some tracks may spoil it for newcomers."
Track Listings (14) - Disc #1