Album Club, January 2017: Bruford - 'One of a Kind'
Happy New Year Everyone.
We start the New Year Album Club with a choice from Neil (Dalek Supreme) who, after a 'no show' by another member, has kindly stepped up to the plate with Bruford's 'One of a Kind'. As always please listen to the album in its entirety before you comment and/or vote.
I discovered this album many years ago - on vinyl - and bought it as one of 'my taking a chance' purchases and fell in love with its quirky mix of prog and jazz-fusion vibes. One of A Kind is mostly instrumental with the only vocal being speech at the beginning of Fainting in Coils, provided by Sam Alder as the narrator, Bill Bruford as the Mock Turtle and Anthea Norman Taylor as Alice.
The line up for this album is in my view fabulous with Bill Bruford on drums, Alan Holdsworth on guitar, Jeff Berlin on bass, and Dave Stewart on keyboards. Also on the album is Eddie Jobson on violin, and John Clark on guitar. The album was produced by Bill Bruford and it's a nice open and detailed recording with lovely acoustic and soundstage, with minimal compression.
In many ways this is a second UK album as Bill and Alan had just left UK to record this album and the vibe is very similar just missing John Wetton's bass and vocals.
I think its beautiful and haunting in places with magical interplay between instruments and at times interesting time changes/tuning and a slightly avant garde vibe. In saying that it’s still an album rich with melody so accessible if you like jaz- fusion and prog.