FunkFreak75 The third release of the Bruford jazz-fusion project sees the absence of departed guitarist (extraordinaire) Allan Holdsworth--which meant a drastic lowering of expectations for all prog fans.

1. "Age Of Information" (4:41) rather pop-oriented prog with some of Bill, Jeff, and Dave's most straightforward instrumental play I've ever heard. Jeff Berlin as a lead vocalist leaves much to be desired and the guitar play of newcomer John Clark is barely recognizable. Luckily, the instrumentalists start to "color outside the lines" a bit in the song's second half, but those vocals are really a downer. (I'd MUCH rather have the much-maligned Annie Peacock on the mic.) (8.7/10)

2. "Gothic 17" (5:07) Guitar! Impressive in a Holdsworth-like way--and Jeff Berlin's funky bass is prominent--while his vocal is definitely being molded into a John Wetton/UK-like delivery form. Bill and Dave are good but never demanding our attention, but John Clark does a super job! (8.75/10)

3. "Joe Frazier" (4:41) now this is the Bruford we've come to know and love! (I'd heard this song before on the Master Strokes 1978-1985 album.) Bass and keys entwined in a demanding race against doubling Bill's time. John Clark's wailing Allan Holdsworth-sounding guitar enters in a solo capacity in the second minute followed by a pretty impressive bass solo from Jeff. Clark retorts with his own guitar pyrotechniques before yielding to Dave Stewart for a bit as Jeff's bass continues to wow and astonish throughout. Bill is just solid, driving, keeping fairly straight time throughout. More Dave Stewart but man is Jeff impressive! (9/10)

4. "Q.E.D." (7:46) a keyboard oriented instrumental showcasing Dave Stewart's Herbie Hancock/Joe Zawinal chops. Matter of fact, the song overall has a very distinctive WEATHER REPORT "Birdland" sound and feel. Though this is Dave's showpiece, there are some nice John Clark moments as well. It is, however, kind of sad to me to hear the band imitating other bands since I've grown so accustomed to Bill always paving the way with absolutely new and fresh creations. The well must be running dry. (13.125/15)

5. "The Sliding Floor" (4:58) a return to the vocal mic for Jeff over some pretty descent mostly-original music. All of the instrumental performers (and performances) are of quite a high level on this one (which helps me get through the challenge of "enjoying" Jeff's vocals). (8.75/10) 6. "Palewell Park" (3:57) a beautiful song duet based around some serene Dave Stewart piano work and embellished by Jeff Berlin's extraordinary bass play. (8.875/10)

7. "Plans For J.D." (3:50) If I try to forget that this is the jazz-rock fusion combo known as "Bruford" I could maybe appreciate these songs for their pop-orientations. They could be Squeeze, 10CC, ABC, XTC, ELP, or even The Manhattan Transfer. Still, this is by far Jeff's best vocal on the album. (8.66667/10)

8. "Land's End" (10:20) Bill's attempt to bring some UK and/or National Health back into the Bruford sound. The incredible, song-changing presence (and effect) of two-thirds of The Northettes doesn't hurt! John Clark's guitar soars and delights despite his conforming to the sounds expected of the "Allan Holdsworth replacement." The pace picks up with a motif change at the end of the third minute but then slows down and empties out at the end of the fourth--to make way for a pensive Dave Stewart piano solo. The rest of the band rejoins at 4:56 to present more "vintage" UK/Bruford-like music featuring some great, upbeat Jeff Berlin bass play and solid (and iconic) Bill Bruford drumming. Keys and electric guitar perform their own little magic throughout the seventh and eighth minutes (especially John Clark) before The Northettes and Bill mark a transition at 7:45. The new motif has organ and piano, hand claps, steady, coordinated bass and guitar chord play while Bill drives it forward. At the nine-minute mark a Bruford drum bridge brings the band round for a reprise of the opening theme and palette (with The Northettes in cahoots). I wish Amanda and Barbara could have had a little more room for improvisation, but I'll always take them in any form and dosage that I can! A solid prog epic sans vocals. (18/20)

Total time 45:20

I had not actually ever heard, much less acquired, this album until today (November 25, 2023). Though I still hear the stellar (perhaps unsurpassed) talents of each of the four instrumentalists working on this album, there is a disappointment factor emanating from the vocals as well as from the "borrowed" themes and sounds employed by the band for some of the songs (something they'd never really conceded to doing before).

B/four stars; a surprisingly not bad contribution to the music scene for 1980; definitely an album that most prog lover's will find much to enjoy.

FunkFreak75 Bill Bruford's continued excursion into the burgeoning and exciting world of electrified percussion using a jazzier prog medium--and a band of incredibly technically accomplished musicians. You would be hard-pressed to put together a band of more proficient instrumentalists than bassist Jeff BERLIN, keyboard wizard Dave STEWART, guitar genius Allan HOLDSWORTH and, of course, drummer unparalleled, Bill Bruford. Gone is mysterious chanteuse Annette PEACOCK (whose talents I actually love) and gone, too, are any attempts at songs with vocals. This is an experimental jazz fusion album. Accordingly, it takes the listener some time to become familiar and friendly to the sometimes obtuse or oblique sounds and styles of the music and musicians. But, if you put in the effort, I think that you will find this album well worth it.

"The Sahara of Snow, Parts 1 & 2" Is probably one of my ten favorite prog songs of all-time--and definitely the best Allan Holdworth soloing ever.

FunkFreak75 The first of the three Bruford albums from the late 1970s, Feels Good to Me is so tightly wound, so concisely constructed and precisely performed, that it almost scared me off upon first listen. (I bought it when it came out). The angular and often dissonant lead guitar work of Allan Holdsworth took me some getting used to--as did the vocal stylings of Annette Peacock (though I was much more quickly won over by her than I was by Holdsworth). The funky "non-keyboard" keyboard work of Dave Stewart--especially on that (in retrospect, amazing) opening song took me by surprise (I had not at this point been exposed to any Canterbury-style jazz fusion). I knew BRAND X and, of course, drummer extraordinaire Bill Bruford. I also had quite a challenge in having to process and accommodate bass player Jeff Berlin's amazing speed, dexterity, and melodic choice-making. All in all, this was a form and style of music that pushed all of my musical buttons; I was just not ready for it! And yet I persisted and continued to play and accumulate Bruford albums and anything and everything he touched over the next three decades. Every song here is jaw-dropping for the virtuosity of its musicians as well as for the innovation of its compositional twists and turns. Great work from a collective of very strong-willed virtuosi. No wonder it only lasted a couple of years. As for the album's Canterbury-ness, it's a bit of a stretch when compared to the music of Caravan and Khan, but it is quite comparable, in my opinion, to that of the more "serious," jazz-oriented Canterbury artists such as Gilgamesh, National Health and later Soft Machine.

Four stars; an excellent example of the jazz fusion side of progressive rock music.

Warthur Bill Bruford's first solo album - which inadvertently became the first album by the "Bruford" band - exists right at the borderline between the jazzier end of the Canterbury scene (as represented by National Health and Hatfield and the North) and the percussion-heavy side of fusion, as represented by Billy Cobham's first album and by the Mothers of Inventions' various percussionists over the years.

Canterbury fans will, of course, remember that Bill himself was a member of National Health for a time, and by way of returning the favour Dave Stewart sits in on keyboard (and Neil Murray pops in from time to time to bring some back-up bass). Allan Holdsworth, of course, has a track record of playing in Canterbury bands that have crossed the line into full-on fusion (Soft Machine and Gong), whilst the unusual vocals of Annette Peacock adds a mildly avant-garde twist to proceedings.

On balance, the album represents an intriguing new musical direction, combining the jazziest parts of the Canterbury scene with the best of other traditions of jazz fusion. Along with National Health's debut, it's probably the most important Canterbury recording of 1977, but it's also got a lot to offer fans of other jazz fusion traditions.

Slartibartfast Saw these guys at the Atlanta Agora on tour for this album (minus Holdsworth, dammit). The guitarist was John Clark (not too shabby). I did get to see Holdsworth later on the I.O.U. tour and a rathole club called 688. (Got autographs there!)

Too young to be at the Agora, but so fortunate. I wasn't all that enthusiastic about going at first, but once the music started, I was hooked. One of the things I remember most was Jeff Berlin's picking fingers. They were moving so fast it was like nothing I've ever seen before. Almost a blur! Not just empty headed noodling, but very complex bass work. Not having the benefit of hearing this album before, I rushed out to buy it the next day (was already familiar with U.K.). This album takes off from where U.K.'s U.K. album (1978) left off probably more so than Danger Money does.

Dave Stewart's keyboard performance on this one is incredible. I still get chills listening to The Sahara of Snow. Really inspired me to take up the synthesizer a few years later. Bruford's work here really shows that a drummer isn't just a person who hangs out with musicians (joke). This was just before he started adding electronic drums and participated in the '80's reformation King Crimson. I seriously would not have expected a drummer driven project to be this good. I still prefer Holdsworth's work in other groups to what he's done on his own.

An excellent quartet here and the addition of any other musicians would probably be too much. Not that I mind any of the vocal bits done under the moniker of Bruford. This music is timeless. The compositions are rich and complex. Each tune could probably be expanded into a whole album's worth of material with good results. The music tells many tales here and vocals would be superfluous. The only music that comes to mind that compares to from this time was Steve Morse/Dixie Dregs' What If album, the song Odyssey, in particular.

Dick Heath I remember seeing this originally on BBC 2 a few weeks after it was recorded in one of the canteens of Oxford Poly, and getting a mix of intense pleasure. In particular pleasure from the tour de force that Holdsworth had developed into (and screamed out at me on Feels Good To Me)and the unknown bass-wiz Jeff Berlin. But there was disappointment over Annette's contribution to the set - when her husky voice breathed sex at me on the album.

Now here from the Beeb's archives is the original 70's video quality footage as originally shown on 625 lines. The pleasure points remain, with some details emphasised. However the disappointment is worse, in particular there is a promise of something special as Peacock flounces on part way through the set, dressed as the fashion queen,(thereby drawing the contrast with the blokes in the band). However,again the expectation of something special evaporates quickly - the diva can't 'deave' live in sympathy with the music, the band i.e. her vocals are poor. Fortunately we don't have to suffer this for long and thank goodness for the skip button.

Yes this is a short recording*, and isn't there a missed opportunity here? One DVD burn (of a copy of a copy, etc.) of this gig I saw some years ago and suffering horribly from colour dropout, had the addition of two extra numbers by Bruford recorded off from the Old Grey Whistle Test - here with I think Neil Murray deputing for Jeff Berlin. Surely the Beeb could had offered these as well?

*Interesting to see another Rock Goes To College recording of Herbie Hancock & the Headhunters recorded at the now defuncted Chelsea College, that had resurfaced on BBC 4 2 years ago, was an hour long.

Slartibartfast This is incredible. I had the good fortune of seeing Bruford, unfortunately post Holdsworth, at the now defunct Atlanta Agora. I did get to catch Holdsworth touring for his I.O.U. album, but that's another story. My first pass through this concert really gave me the goosebumps.

It is unfortunate that this DVD is only 41 minutes, but the set list is excellent. Four tracks from Bruford's best album, One of a Kind. Annette Peacock even shows up for a couple of songs. I always thought that she didn't fit in well with this kind of music, but it's nice to see her all the same. I hope I'm wrong, but I don't think there's any live video out there of Alan Holdsworth, so seeing him in action is a special treat. One of the things I remember most from seeing Bruford was that at times Jeff Berlin's picking fingers were a blur and seeing him again live, I know I wasn't imagining it. Dave Stewart, or as I like to call him, The Dave Stewart, not that Eurythmics guy, is also a lot of fun to see in action. I noticed he had a music stand with no sheet music, but a synthesizer diagram, interesting. And then of course there's Bill. Those of you who may dislike his electronic drum work, I'm not one, will be happy to him playing strictly acoustic. What can I say? He's really one of best drummers around. The audio quality is excellent and sometimes the camera man crop off Holdsworth's left hand when I'd like to see it, but other than that, this is really nice for a concert captured in 1979.