Re: Ion Paladi Album 2012 Download Free
Tianna Faure
They were founded 1970 by classically trained multi-instrumentalist Peter Solley and jazz drummer Keith Webb, two members of Terry Reid's band which was part of the opening act for the Rolling Stones on their 1969 American tour. The other members of the band were Derek Foley (guitar and vocals) who previously played in Grisby Dyke; Lou Stonebridge (keyboards and vocals) from Glass Menagerie, which had released five progressive rock and psychedelic rock singles, and also the lead singer of Grisby Dyke; and Peter Beckett (bass guitar, vocals) who came from Liverpool-based Winston G and The Wicked, and later in the final incarnation of World of Oz.[1]
They played in venues across the UK as they worked to develop their sound, performing a mix of rock, blues, soul, jazz, and Latin music. Paladin's use of dual keyboards also created a unique sound. These performances were noticed by Bronze Records (who also recorded Uriah Heep and Manfred Mann). On January 8, 1971, Paladin entered Olympic Studios in London to record their debut eponymous first album, produced by Philamore Lincoln. The reviews were good, but the sales were disappointing.[citation needed]
Despite the poor performance of Paladin, the band was allowed to record a second album, Charge! produced by Philamore Lincoln, engineered by Geoff Emerick at Apple Studios and released in 1972. The album is notable for the cover art by Roger Dean which unfortunately did not help sales. In 1972, Stonebridge and Foley left, and the band recruited guitar/vocalist Joe Jammer to replace them. The group finally disbanded near the end of 1972.[2]
Peter Solley would later play in a variety of bands and acted as a producer. He played with Eric Clapton, Whitesnake and Procol Harum, playing keyboards opposite Gary Brooker, and did production work for Peter Frampton and Wreckless Eric. Keith Webb ran the Nag's Head, Stafford, where he hosted numerous famous and no-longer-so-famous Rock'n'Roll acts including Climax Band and Mark Knopfler's Dire Straits during the "Sultans of Swing" era. Keith had played with several big names and bands and every Friday night in the late 70's he jammed at Rock Workshop, Etruria; he ended up in Spain. Lou Stonebridge went to McGuinness Flint and later to David Byron (ex-Uriah Heep). Peter Beckett moved to the United States, founding Player and scoring a No. 1 hit called "Baby Come Back", co-written with J.C. Crowley,[3] and later touring with the Little River Band. Derek Foley went on to play with Graham Bond.
In my musings on the conclusion of 2021, one of my laments was the seeming decline of Power Metal as a scene and how, since Gloryhammer had self-destructed and Rhapsody (and their various iterations) and other members of the old guard were (at best) struggling to battle diminishing returns (if not serving up pale imitations of glory days long past), it was difficult to see where the spotlight was going to shift to and if there was life in the old unicorn still. Well, it is certainly clear that, while longevity has yet to be tested or proven, by delivering one of the most instantly impressive Power Metal albums of recent years, Power Paladin should see the beginning of a dragon ride across stages to festival halls and main-stage bills over the coming years. More power to their (magic) sword!
Stylistically the material on "Paladin" is a highly energetic form of rock drawing influences from jazz/rock, blues rock, progressive rock, and psychedelic rock. Webb is an absolute monster on the drums and his high voltage drumming style drives the music forward with great energy and passion (take a listen to his high energy performance on "Bad Times"), and his performance here is definitely one of the greatest assets of the album. The vocals are decent but nothing out of the ordinary, so its mostly the instrumental part of the music which is worth a closer investigation, and Solleys piano and organ playing is worth more than a couple of mentions. The rest of the band are well playing too.The album features a well sounding, powerful, and organic toned production job, and its a sound production which provides the material with great opportunities to shine. Upon conclusion this is a good quality debut album from Paladin, but the tracks which are a bit more straight forward vers/chorus based rock tracks really arent that interesting (tracks like "Carry Me Home" and "Flying High" could be mentioned here) and drag my rating down a bit. Paladin are arguably best when they are full throttle high energy rocking, which fortunately they are on several tracks on the album. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted. social review comments Review Permalink
Posted Sunday, April 7, 2024 Review this album Report (Review #3036011)
The stage is set with "The Gong" (12 seconds of a gong being struck--how do they come up with this?!). Andhonestly, I like what I'm hearing with "The Fakir I", an Eastern- sounding track with rolling toms and "exotic" violins. Slight build, slight fade. "Third World - Pt. I" was pretty flat, pretty boring. Got better as it goes, but that's it. "Third World - Pt. II" showed immediately more promise. A sort of... Latin(?) thing going on here. A tad better than the first part."Carry Me Home", almost as though the name somehow implies it, is a very classic Rock song. Really showin'their roots. The organ is probably the highlight throughout. Sorta like The Band, I suppose (like literally RootsRock). "Dance of the Cobra" on the other hand, while still kinda sorta Rootsy, is a bit funkier. Gave my noggin' alittle scratch haha. This also provided a few varied sections. Very refreshing compared to what came before (even despitethe drum solo). It really does feel like a lot of this is them just glancing backwards. "Bad Times" continuessomewhat in this trend with something reminiscent of Santana or... Iron Butterfly(?). Just like classic Proto-Prog, although performed in the modern era. The organ is once again the highlight here. And this specifically continues on"Fill Up Your Heart". I might start repeating myself... Again, something Latin.And then "It's Time", time for some more Roots! hahaha. Then we're back to 'the East' with "The Fakir II". We out in the dunes? I don't ever want to ask a band or artist why they chose to do something, but... It's just interesting... And with this track, some interesting choices, but ultimately relatively static.And wham! We have vocals finally appearing on "Trip to Venus", a sorta lovey dovey, classic rock tune. And really, the vocals are real nice. But y'all gonna like this? Unsure. Finally, "Anyway" is a classic, Prog-Pop song. My mind goes to ELO or to Argent (definitely something I'm into). "Anyway II" just feels like a mirror of its first part. It's pretty slow and light, with a slight build at theend. The melody is really great, but the song (the second part, specifically) felt unnecessary.Overall, not bad. Even pretty good. social review comments Review Permalink
Posted Friday, December 17, 2021 Review this album Report (Review #2653266)
Paladin are armed and ready to do battle with "Give Me Your Hand", a funky 8-minute-long Jazz-Rock number that definitelydoesn't need "more cowbell", as there are cowbells in abundance on this lively rocker. This is like the kind of electrifying high-energy opener you might hear on a Santana or Savoy Brown album. These gallant Paladin knights are charging full-speedahead on a burst of frenetic energy and raw adrenalin in a storming crusade of guitars, keyboards and pounding percussion.The soulful vocalist packs an impassioned punch too with this rousing chorus:- "Give me your hand, lead me on, Through thismoment of despair, oh, Give me your hand, lead me on, Show me something that's still there." ..... This peerless band ofmusical knights have really set the bar high with this very impressive album opener. Can we expect Paladin to keep up theincredible pace throughout the album!?? "Well We Might", because that's the title of their second searing offering. There's nodoubt about it, "Well We Might" is a super-charged Blues-Rock song that barrels along relentlessly for five breath-takingminutes like a diesel locomotive on full power. These intrepid knights sure know how to ROCK!! It's another dazzling display ofroof-raising keyboards, guitars and percussion, all jousting to see who's the loudest and mightiest musician of them all, withamplifiers that probably go all the way up to eleven. The band barely have time for a breather with "Get One Together" either,as Paladin have got together again to deliver another real hell-for-leather barnstormer of a song. This pummellinginstrumental rocker sounds like a funky cross between Uriah Heep and Santana, which can best be described as Funk Rockthat's as hard and heavy as a block of granite. The fourth Very 'eavy and Very 'umble song "Anyway" has shades of DeepPurple and Uriah Heep. It's a rousing anthemic number which dramatically gathers in pace, reminding one of "July Morning"by Uriah Heep or "Child in Time" by Deep Purple. Either way, "Anyway" is an uplifting and inspirational song to close out SideOne on a spiritual and emotional high-point."Good Lord", is that the time!? Yes, it's time for an extended fruity jam session where the musicians give a High and Mightydisplay of heavy Stormbringer prog at its absolute best, in the best Demons and Wizards traditions of Uriah Heep and DeepPurple, spiced up with the funky sound of the Allman Brothers and Santana. This sensational band have it all! Can itpossibly get any better than this!?? YES IT CAN, because on the way now is "Mix Your Mind with Moonbeams", which mightsound like some weird, stoned-out psychedelic acid trip, going by the title alone, but it's really a full-blown Heavy Prog epic,guaranteed to lift you up into prog heaven and beyond. This roaring soaring prog anthem is another stunning highlight of thealbum, alongside the marvellous "Anyway" at the close of Side One. We're taking it easy now and getting into a mellowermood for "Watching the World Pass By", with a deceptively light and breezy harmonica and keyboard opening. This just servesas a prelude though for another monstrous blast of powerful keyboard prog for a storming conclusion to a terrific album.Paladin are the mother of all funky Jazz-Rock bands, with influences to be heard from the Allman Brothers, Deep Purple,Santana, Savoy Brown and Uriah Heep. These chivalrous knights are charged-up and ready to do battle in a dynamicexplosion of thunderous keyboards, blistering guitars and pounding percussion. When it comes to Heavy Prog, Paladin arelike gallant knights in shining armour charging full-speed ahead in a searing blaze of take-no-prisoners musical glory! social review comments Review Permalink
Posted Tuesday, March 3, 2020 Review this album Report (Review #2339993)