The message from Frank Swarbrick rises higher:
 FS> What is this _When The Sweet Turns Sour_ thing?  A live album?
 FS> Unreleased songs?  Can you find it at the local store?  Is it
 FS> good?
Questions?  Answers!
This is echolyn's most recent release.  I found it at M&M Music on
the Internet (http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/4500/), but other
mail order places have it too. Here's what's on it:
100 Diversions -- the last song written together, Oct 1995
  This one is great.  Lots of rock, different themes, cool rolling
  vocals (kind of like Anekdoten's "The Wheel") and lots of
  echolyn-isms. The only problem is this is only a demo recording so the
  sound isn't the best (bassy -- I have to crank the treble up). This
  was done after Tom Hyatt, bassist, left. Ray Weston plays bass here.
Another Day -- from _As The World_ sessions.
  Nothing spectacular, but you can tell it's from those sessions.  Buzby
  is very busy on a very Proggy keyboard intro.  They say the idea
  eventually emerged as "Uncle" but it doesn't sound like that song.
When The Sour Turns To Sweet -- the Genesis song
  Unlike so many Genesis covers that emerged last year, this one isn't
  just a copy of the original.  If one didn't know, you could easily
  believe that echolyn wrote this.  The sound is incredible on this one!
  My God, those drums are in my room!!
Meaning And The Moment -- an "unplugged" version
  I never did fully appreciate this song on their debut album, but
  somehow the acoustic version of this REALLY works well.  Excellent.
The Currents of Me -- second to last song written together, summer '95
  Hmm.  Not much to drool over here.  Kind of blah.
Patchwork -- from _As The World_ sessions.
  Oh, leaving this off _As The World_ was a crime!  A gorgeous song like
  a mix of "Settled Land" and "A Habit Worth Forming" only more Proggy
  and with Gentle Giant-delivered vocals.  All kinds of time changes in
  this too.
This Time Alone -- last song recorded together, Nov 1995
  What a way to go.  It's full of Progginess and high and low tempo
  changes, but it doesn't have that sense of trying-to-hard that _As
  The World_ has, if you know what I mean.  They just relaxed and
  made something beautiful, more along the lines of _Suffocating
  The Bloom_.  Hearing this and "100 Diversions" really makes me wish
  that they didn't break up.  The writing was really maturing.
"A Little Nonsense" and "As The World" live --
  They jam a little longer during the mid section of "A Little Nonsense"
  and it comes off well, but I think I prefer the studio version of the
  song.  The live "As The World" didn't come off too well.  The
  playing's OK, but it doesn't have that same power that the studio
  version has.  This is surprising since when I saw echolyn live, all of
  their songs were powerful.  Chances are there are better live versions
  of "As The World."
Anyway, that's my review.
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- Clark Ray                                                  -
- email: clarkray@psnw.com                                   -
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... yet in the darkness of my mind Damascus wasn't far behind
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