RARE BIRD – BEAUTIFUL SCARLET: THE RECORDINGS (1969-1975) AS YOUR MIND FLIES BY (Esoteric Recordings) (CD boxset) (part two: the second album)

‘What You Want to Know’ is a strong opening ballad. The mono single is also included. The replica gatefold sleeve is also much appreciated and, of course, the informative booklet and poster. The four part ‘Flight’ takes up the whole of side and this signals the more progressive approach taken. The keyboard palette has changed with what sounds like a harpsichord on ‘Down on the Floor’. ‘Hammerhead’ could have been a Van Der Graaf Generator song and was released as a mono single. As for the title track the choral effects, tempo changes and wonderful organ effects are impressive. The lyrics are…well…trippy and interesting and the music is very similar to the approach taken by The Nice/ELP.  This haunting piece of music marks the peak maturation of the ‘progressive’ Rare Bird. The keyboard exchanges are things of beauty as they crescendo and diminuendo. A dragon like Hammond provides a segue – I thought very much of Van Der Graaf Generator and tone generators here. Sometimes it sounds ecclesiastical, sometimes like something from Hell. The riff could have come from Hawkwind! (Although the ‘singing’ is very ELP!) Towards its conclusion the music quotes Ravel’s ‘Bolero’. There is one other bonus: a song called ‘Red Man’ more of which later.

The album is pretty much all killer no filler and has been described as a “masterpiece” in the Prog Archives website. The problem with comparing their albums is that they are all so different stylistically. Some might consider the Charisma band and the one that was signed by Polydor as different bands.