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Monday, January 23, 2012

Consortium - Rebirth (1975 uk, fantastic heavy progressive rock)



After some long years of singles and live performances, the UK band Consortium finally sees the light of day for the first time ever of its sole album, Rebirth, recorded around 1975...

Like many albums of its time, Rebirth stands at the crossroads of psychedelic rock, hard rock and progressive rock. The music can be described as a hybrid between Grand Funk Railroad and Uriah Heep: its dirty, train-like rumble and down-to-earth lyrics (sometimes to the point of banality as in the case of "I Want You") resembling the earlier, while its operatic harmonies and grandiose dimensions reminding of the latter.

The band’s labor pains, which went on for some long years of failing to produce an album (some of their earlier recordings, however, surfaced on the Castle release Looking Back credited to "West Coast Consortium"), add an interesting dimension to the material. The band refuses to let go of its yet-to-be disburdened original ‘60s orientation, and blends it with influences that the band caught during early to mid ‘70s. "Stop (Look at Me)" has an R&B feel in the vein of early The Who (think "I Can’t Explain") and "I’m Dying" has a suspicious resemblance to Led Zeppelin’s "Thank You," while "It’s up to You" takes the timeline further on to early Rush, especially due to its falsetto vocals.

On the heavier side, "She Gave Life" has sparks of Black Sabbath’s doom interlaced with contradicting pastoral harmonies; and the dual lead guitars that run wild throughout some of the songs often make them sound like a prototype of Judas Priest and Iron Maiden.

And so Rebirth is about the decades that shaped rock music being reflected through a certain point in time. It is therefore a shame it was not released close to its recording, as it could have established its reputation as a pivotal album. Still, it holds most of its vitality to this day.
by Avi Shaked


Tracks
1. Rebirth - 3:47
2. It Was You - 4:18
3. Hold on Tightly - 3:16
4. It's Up to You - 3:39
5. It's Not Easy - 4:07
6. For Me to Forgive - 5:57
7. Stop (Look at Me) - 3:57
8. She Gave Life - 8:54
9. I Want You - 3:03
10. Time Waits For No Man - 5:30
11. I'm Dying - 5:39
All compositions by Consortium.

Consortium
*Ken Brown - Bass
*Robbert Leggat - Vocals
*Brian Parker - Lead Guitar, Vocals
*John Parker - Drums
*Mick Ware - Lead Guitar, Vocals

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15 comments:

  1. In 2005 Angel Air Records issued a previously unreleased album from 1975 entitled Rebirth.
    Consortium (then known as West Coast Consortium) had a Top 30 hit with 'All The Love In The World' in 1969 and over the next few years the band changed labels and recorded some very collectable singles maintaining the high vocal harmonies that first brought the band to the public attention the band continued work into the 70s. This album was recorded in 1975, shortly before the band broke up, and remained unreleased until now.
    Mixing prog and pop, heavy folk in places a decent affair that would have probably sounded out of place at the time nice guitar riffs working well with the hard rock sound, but the vocal arrangements are just too 60s, so a bit of mixture really. The guitar intro to 'Hold On Tightly' is typical of Kinks Meet The Monkees.
    Marios,Thanks a lot for reviving this beauty. No doubt that the British kids took their , I love this period in history.

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  2. btw:)learned about an interesting edition
    A new album by one of the largely unsung heroes of the early-'70s prog boom, 13th Hour is also notable, for the unreleased songs dating back to the band's glory days.

    Consortium -13th Hour
    Label:Angel Air
    Catalog number 1587944
    Release Date:Feb 09, 2010
    Personnel: Brian Parker, Mick Ware (vocals, guitar); Robbie Leggat (vocals).
    Recording information: Livid Studio, Devon (2009); Village Studio, Essex (2009).
    Track Listing
    1) Where
    2) 13th Hour (edited)
    3) All The Love In The World
    4) Inside, Outside
    5) Lady Doctor
    6) Sad Girl
    7) Evolution
    8) Nightmare
    9) 13th Hour (Full Version)

    What you get here are nine tracks in total that celebrate Consortium's mid 70's classic rock sound, so there is definitely a pleasant retro feel permeating throughout the album. This is due large in part to the unearthing of two un-released songs ("Where" & "13th Hour") from the later period of their career. Both of these tracks are significant in that they contain the original performances of late drummer John Parker who passed away in 2001. The band was able to isolate the drums from the master 1 inch 16 track tape and then re-record their instruments and vocals overtop Parker's last recordings with the band. Both of these compositions should be regarded as the high points of what is a very solid record from start to finish.
    Clocking in just over seven minutes the opening cut "Where" is a fairly straight ahead rock track propelled by Parkers muscular, steady backbeat, the warm tones of John Caley's organ and the soaring twin guitar leads from Brian Parker and Mick Ware. The title track is up next in what is the first of two versions on the record. The song is offered as both a three and a half minute single edit, together with the extended ten minute version which closes out the disc. While the single edit is nice, it certainly pairs in comparison to the full version, as it omits a plethora of some more absolutely sizzling guitar work from Parker and Ware as they trade off solos for the better part of four minutes.
    Interesting that the band decided to have another go at their biggest hit "All The Love In The World", complete with original member and the composer of the song, keyboardist Geoff Simpson. While I can't say I was a big fan of the original which I thought was a bit on the syrupy side, the fact that they put a slightly more edgier spin on this reinterpretation, while still retaining the smooth vocal qualities and melodies of Robbie's voice from the original, I think was a good decision on their part. They managed to bring the song up to date in a subtle way without having to drastically alter it for a new generation.
    If Consortium is adept at taking leftovers and turning them to their advantage then they should also be commended for doing a great job with the five new songs presented on 13th Hour . "Nightmare", "Inside, Outside" and "Lady Doctor" sit perfectly alongside their back catalogue of work, but more importantly it demonstrates that this band can still be viewed as a vital, creative force that isn't content to just rely on past laurels.
    If you like classic rock that has elements of prog, folk and west coast American pop, you should definitely check out what Consortium has to offer. A great place to start would be right here with this excellent new album. One can only hope that the creative spirit within the band continues and that it translates into more great new music like this.
    Reviewer: Ryan Sparks

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  3. The phrase "fantastic heavy progressive rock" leaves me absolutely no choice but to investigate further...Thanks Marios. And Hi Adamus!

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  4. Looks like a great one. Thanks very much...

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  5. Thanks Marios, been looking for this in flac for ages.

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  6. Θερμότατες ευχαριστίες, Μάριε.

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  7. Really Great album unknown to me until now. Many thanks Marios for the discover, very very fine record.

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  8. Where can I get lyrics for the song (Stop) Look at me

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  9. Did I see you guys in the Marquee once doing a number with 'inside outside out of my head' in the lyric?

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