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THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES
Track list: Overture (5.57); The Curse of the Baskervilles (6.14); Three Broken Threads (4.37); Shadows of Fate (7.01); At Home in the Mire (4.52); Run For Your Life (4.52); Picture of a Lady (3.41); The Argument
(4.48); Second Light (2.00); Seldon (4.57); Death on the Moor (6.13); By Your Side (3.32); Waiting (5.29); Chasing the Hound (4.34).
When Clive Nolan and Oliver Wakeman released 'The Jabberwocky' early in 1999, there was already talk of a second collaborative album to follow, which would be based Arthur Conan Doyle's 'The Hound of the
Baskervilles'. Well, three years of waiting are finally over, and the hard work has certainly paid off, since 'The Hound' quickly reveals itself to be another superbly crafted offering.
The format used is broadly similar to that of 'Jabberwocky' with songs (and instrumentals) depicting key events from from the book, while continuity is provided through the skillful use of a narrator - read by the
character of Dr. Watson. Despite the fact that the narrative can only provide a much simplified version of the story, it is nice to find that there are still some direct quotations from the original work which
have survived the transition to this new format.
I should perhaps stress at this point that familiarity with the original story is not a prerequisite to enjoying this album - although I did find that reading the book enhanced the experience and clarified a few
minor points, one of which was the naming of the track 'Three Broken Threads', the meaning of which would otherwise have passed me by completely! Since Conan Doyle's work is now available in the public domain
you can download a copy free of charge from Project Guttenburg currently to be found here and I'd recommend checking it out!
The man chosen for the narrator's role is Robert Powell, who is perhaps best known for his portrayal of Jesus of Nazareth in Zefferelli's film of the same name, and he proves to be perfect man for the job since his
voice comes across with a clarity and sense of feeling that rally grips the listeners' attention. Interestingly this is not the first time RP has provided narration on a Wakeman CD, having previously featured
on Rick Wakeman's 1983 release 'Cost of Living' album, where he gives an equally powerful and moving reading of Thomas Grey's poem 'Elegy from a Country Churchyard'.
In keeping with 'Jabberwocky', 'The Hound' also draws on a very impressive cast, many of who appeared on the earlier work. The main characters are portrayed by Bob Catley (Sir Henry Baskerville), Tracey
Hitchings (Beryl Stapleton), Paul Allison (Stapleton), and Ashley Holt (Doctor Mortimer), while the minor parts are played by Ian 'Moon' Gould (Seldon) and Michelle Young (Laura Lyons).
Credits show that some backing vocals are also provided by Paul Wrightson the ex-Arena frontsman. An equally impressive cast of musicians appear on the album too, including Tony Fernandez (drums), Peter Gee and John Jowitt (bass), Karl Groom, Arjen Lucassen and Peter Banks (guitars), Jo Greenland (violin) and Eve Albering (flute).
The album begins with 'The Overture' where the powerful sense of drama, the constantly changing moods and the rich use of different keyboard textures, all unite to give a strong and favourable first impression - and
set the tone for what is to follow. In addition to some first rate keyboard work, the use of violin played by Jo Greenland (who features on Oliver's solo album '3 Ages of Magick') provides a very nice touch.
While it's not my intention to single out any one performer as being better than the others, I must say I found Bob Catley's contribution to this album to be outstanding.
The first time we hear him on the album is on 'Shadows of Fate' and the singing and depth of feeling here is of the very highest standard - as one would expect from such a veteran. Catley's inimitable style, supported by powerful orchestrations make this track one of the real highlights of the album for me.
'Picture of a Lady', Bob Catley's only other solo performance is, on the other hand, a much slower paced track.
While it does not carry the strength of some of the other tracks, it does show another aspect of the man's talents.
An area where 'Jabberwocky' scored very highly in my book was with the multi part vocal arrangements, and 'The Hound' thankfully continues to deliver well in this area.
The first such piece, 'The Argument', is essentially a love duet between Beryl and Sir Henry when they meet on the moor. Tension comes from a series of interjections from a disapproving Stapleton who is watching the couple from nearby and the way that the three main vocal parts (sung by Paul Allison (Stapleton), Bob Catley and Tracy Hitchings) combine is really breathtaking. The outpouring of tenderness from the lovers set against the hostility between the characters creates a really inspired musical contrast.
Equally impressive is the a four part vocal arrangement on the track 'Waiting', which features the same lineup as 'The Argument' but now joined by Ashley Holt. There is a good variety of vocal styles here, each
of the characters compliment the others magnificently, and it is easy to become so caught up in the foreground action that the complexity of the underlying music is missed altogether.
The music itself flows effortlessly from beginning to end, ranging from soft and delicate, to brooding and dark as the demands of the story demands. The contribution of the composers is clearly to the
forefront, and to be honest I would be disappointed if this were not the case, but there is still opportunity for the rest to shine.
Guitar work, particularly some of the heavy sections in tracks like 'The Curse of the Baskervilles', really seems to hit the spot and, as I have already mentioned, Jo Greenland's violin playing also adds a pleasing edge.
Quite apart from the actual musical content, the album scores well in terms of production and engineering and the involvement of Karl Groom who mixed the album at Thin Ice Studios, and Rob Aubrey who was in charge of
the final mastering at Nomansland is, no doubt, a contributing factor here.
So are there any down sides to the album? Well from my perspective quite simply the answer is
'not really'. A minor niggle for some may be that none of the tracks are credited individually - although I suspect that listeners already familiar with Clive and Oliver's existing work will probably be able to figure most of the writing credits for themselves, and it's fair enough if the artists want to keep this information to themselves. I found myself a little more frustrated by the fact that no playing credits are given, and with three great guitar players appearing on the album (Karl Groom, Peter Banks and Arjen Lucassen) it would have been nice to know who played what - but this is really a small concern.
Second albums can prove to be difficult children, and in this case living up to the measure of
'Jabberwocky' could have proved a daunting task, however I am delighted to say that 'The Hound of the Baskervilles' has actually exceeded my expectations. Clive Nolan and Oliver Wakeman have proved themselves to be a powerful writing team and they should be proud of the fact they have really outdone themselves with this release.
Whether the future holds the promise of any further collaborations between these two remains to be seen, but for now I applaud 'The Hound' as being one of the best examples of the modern concept album that I have
heard in a long time and I thoroughly recommend it!
Simon 23rd January 2002
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