SHAFTSBURY - THE LULL BEFORE THE STORM - UK ORIGINAL LP - RARE UK PROG ROCK
£
18
$
24
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Description
UK ORIGINAL OKA 001 LP - SIGNED ON REAR COVER.
IN NICE CONDITION, THE FULLY LAMINATED COVER HAS NO WEAR, TEARS OR WRITING ON. THE DISC IS ONLY LIGHTLY USED, AND STILL RETAINS A NICE SHEEN.
OVERALL I WOULD GRADE AS EX/EX
UK P&P - £3.50
EUROPE - £6.50
REST OF WORLD - £8.50
WILL COMBINE P&P FOR MULTIPLE PURCHASES.
Shaftsbury – The Lull Before The Storm
Hailing from Portsmouth (UK), Shaftsbury were quite an active unit in the club scene of the UK in the 1970's, having probably been doing the rounds since the early half of the decade and creating a strong local following in the process. There are reports, for instance, of a prestigious appearance at the British television talent show "New Faces" as early as May 1975, which tends to suggest they were active for a good while previously. The nucleus of Roger Grigg, Dave Martin and Peter Roffey remained strong for virtually all of the band's lifespan and they seem to have experimented with individual compositions from an early stage, although their shows always presented the usual selection of rock and roll covers to make everyone happy. Judging from their debut LP "The Lull Before The Storm", released on the independent label OK Records in 1979, their collective songwriting talents leaned towards prog rock territory. The LP opens with "Electric Woman", a basic riff based rocker with some rollicking chunky guitar chords and a memorable lead break and some twiddly synth. Things groove along nicely with "No No Never" a song that shows Shaftsbury at their best, a good mix of rocking energy and interesting tempo changes, creating a very dynamic (and yet catchy) atmosphere, much more into 1970’s rock than anything more modern. Things get even better with their inspired version of "I Who Have Nothing", they took the old song from the 1960’s and gave it a heavy, guitar based, engaging atmosphere with a great piano intro that really works to great effect. "Liar" a fast pacey rocker that almost veers into NWOBHM territory, and that there's even a few hints of none other than Queen in the more subtle parts of the song with some great guitar and synth interplay. Side two of the original LP kicks off with "Captain Lane" a melodic soft rock piece with a strong Eagles, America, west coast influence and is a bit different from the rest of the LP. The title track, the 13-minute opus "The Lull Before The Storm" is seemingly a concept piece, written by the multi-talented Roger Grigg about a ship enduring some difficulties on the ocean, a subject that often seems to fascinate a lot of heavy rockers out there. “The Lull Before The Storm" is a complex, multilayered song that captures the listener's attention from start to finish and it's quite impressive that Shaftsbury actually made it, as the song works remarkably well most of the time. There's a lot to enjoy here including the grandiose chorus and the atmospheric part near the end works quite nicely, which is quite an achievement in itself. There's a lot of nice guitar duels and the arrangements are very effective too. "The Lull Before The Storm" is likely to be enjoyed by anyone who likes the heavy progressive music from the 1970’s. Working relentlessly in the live environment (they gigged all over the UK and seemingly went as far as travelling to Spain and Cyprus), Shaftsbury built a good reputation for themselves, enough to justify a further vinyl release from OK Records.
Personnel
Roger Grigg – Drums, Percussion, Tambourine, Claves, Kettle Drum, Tubular Bells, Yamaha Synthesiser, Hohner String Machine, Fender Rhodes, Challen Piano, Flute, Vocals
Dave Martin – Fender Jazz Bass Guitar, Vocal
Peter Roffey – Gibson Les Paul, Fender Telecaster, Acoustic Ovation Guitar
Tracks
1)- Electric Woman
2)- Liar
3)- I Who Have Nothing
4)- No No Never
5)- Captain Lane
6)- The Lull Before the Storm
price rating
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