Search - Trace :: Birds

Fragments of unfinished thoughts

Jeffrey J.Park | Massachusetts, USA | 02/10/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This 1975 release opens with a superb 2'26 minute long keyboard-dominated piece, and a very Bachian one at that. Although short, Bourree amply demonstrates the extraordinary keyboard talents of Rick Van der Linden and the virtuosity of his bandmates. However, by the time the second track rolls around (the 2'24 Snuff), one gets the sense that while Van der Linden is a really good player with an arsenal of equipment at his disposal (he uses 13 types of keyboards on Birds), some of the compositions have a somewhat unfinished feel to them. In fact, half of the album sounds like a Rick van der Linden demonstration sampler, where he (very quickly) explores different musical styles. Other tracks that are poorly developed include Janny (In a Mist) (1'12); Penny (2'41); and Trixie Dixie (0'26). At the other end of the spectrum is the massive, 22-minute King Bird suite, which is comprised of 18 shorter pieces stapled together, and is about as good as it gets for epic works of progressive rock. Other pieces that work well include another Bach cover entitled Opus 1065, which features some superb violin playing by former Curved Air violinist Darryl Way, and the bonus tracks Birds and Tabu. Overall this is a decent listen, and while some may feel it is not entirely essential, I feel it is certainly worth it for van der Linden's playing and the King Bird suite."