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1. Watch Your Step (2:46)
2. Hold On (4:24)
3. Who (5:13)
4. Everything Changes (3:58)
5. It?s Alright (4:30)
6. Mister F (3:19)
7. Baby (2:21)
8. Cool Religion (4:00)
9. Lay Your Head Down (4:40)
10. Nightingale (4:14)
11. Don?t Miss A Beat (5:08)
12. Terpsichore (4:49)
13. Indian Food (2:03)
14. Radio Interview 1977 (3:43)
15. Never Stand Behind An Old Piano (2:25)
ARCHIVE TRACKS 1973-1997
From FLASH to a solo career
featuring PETER BANKS
COLIN CARTER MIKE HOUGH
& SIDONIE JORDAN
PRODUCED BY RAY BENNETT
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Reviews....................................................................................
ZEITGEIST
"Angels and Ghosts", "Whatever Falls"
Ray Bennett was the bass player, rhythm guitarist, writer and vocalist with Flash, a 'fast and furious progressive rock band not unlike Yes' (Martin C. Strong- 'The Great Psychedelic Discography' (Canongate Press, 1997). Flash released 3 albums between 1972 and 1973, the first of them reaching #33 in the U.S. album charts with a single 'Small Beginnings' going top 30.
As Ray says in his sleeve notes, "Angels and Ghosts is a time warp trip through more than twenty years of music." The CD begins with 'Watch Your Step', a Flash track released as a single in 1973. It also ends with the original 'b' side of the single deemed unsuitable for release at the time. 'Flash going bonkers in the studio' is how Ray describes it.
There are some great musicians on this recording. Of particular interest to progressive rock fans is Andy McCulloch of Greenslade on 'Who' and 'Everything Changes', recorded in 1975 and 1976. These tracks also feature Sidonie Jordan, an excellent singer who has appeared with many big name acts. Some of the music is from Ray's solo projects over the years and there is a brief radio interview from 1977.
I like Ray's 'earthy' approach to music and the intimate nature of his lyrics. His bass playing is pretty good too and he does a pretty good take on Chris Squire in the Andy McCulloch version of the rhythm section. And wouldn't it be wonderful to hear songs like 'Watch Your Step' released as singles nowadays. What Flash pack into the 3 minutes is breathtaking!
It is 'Whatever Falls' that is Ray's real triumph though. The 6 minute opener 'La Verite Des Miracles' is a touch symphonic and experimental but not representative of the rest of the album which is littered with excellent songs like 'Torn Apart', the folk blues of 'Digging with a Spoon' and 'Changing'. The crowning glory of the album is the title track- a marvellous ballad that stays long in the memory.
'Whatever Falls' has the consistency and continuity that 'Angels and Ghosts' inevitably lacks.So 'Whatever Falls' goes down as one of my recommended releases of 2001.
Reviewed by Phil Jackson
ZEITGEIST
http://the-rocker.freeservers.com/reviewindex.html
Music St. Journal
"Angels and Ghosts"
Ray Bennett is probably best known in progressive rock circles as part of the band Flash, Peter Banks' first post-Yes band. It really does not do Bennett justice to refer to him in that manner, though. This album, a compilation of work from various projects throughout his career, really points out that there is much more to the man than that. It shows a musician who is constantly searching for his next inspiration and making some great music along the way.
Track by Track Review
Watch Your Step: This cut, described as a "'lost' Flash" track, is quite an interesting psychedelically tinged prog piece. This is surprisingly poppy while still showcasing that band's quirky take on progressive rock.
Hold On: A dramatic arrangement starts this one, and as the cut builds it emerges as a solid rocker with strong prog leanings. It has an exceptionally interesting instrumental break early, and another later in the piece is full-on classic prog. That last break leads into some seriously spacy textures that end the song.
Who: This one is fairly straightforward, but has a strong arrangement. It feels kind of like Flash if they were to attempt a more mainstream AOR number. The production is a little rough, though, but the awesome instrumental break makes up for that.
Everything Changes: Balladic stylings start this one, and, although it is essentially a pretty standard folky rock cut, it still has some tricks up its sleeve.
It's Alright: This is a fairly stripped down, almost metal, '80's rocker.
Mister F: Starting with a great bass sound, keyboard textures join in, and the song begins a gradual building process. This one features some exceptional bass work, and is quite an effective instrumental.
Baby: Acoustic guitar starts this piece off, and a nice atmospheric tone takes the piece. It doesn't wander far but has a nice mood.
Cool Religion: This one has a great jazzy sort of groove to begin. The chorus takes on a hard rocking jam. It feels like an alternative rocker with progish leanings, and some of the coolest moments are near the end.
Lay Your Head Down: Starting off mellow and quite atmospheric, this comes across as a bluesy, progish ballad for a time. Then it shifts to an almost Pink Floyd accented progressive rock style on the chorus. It is one of the strongest and most progressive rock oriented songs on the album, while still maintaining an accessible texture.
Nightingale: Another that begins with acoustic guitar, this is a light ballad that at varying times becomes jazzy and Beatles oriented. It is quite effective.
Don't Miss A Beat: A great oriental sounding chiming starts this one off. Then melody begins building in a neo-classical form. The cut then becomes very complex in a prog fashion before the intro ends. A bass line takes the composition into the song proper, and it is another that falls just a bit Pink Floydish. It even gets a little funky at times. This is a standout piece.
Terpsichore: This one starts in a dramatic atmospheric mode. When the guitar enters, it becomes a slightly hard-edged fusion jam. It then shifts gear completely for a time. This one is the most dynamic tracks on the album and really quite dramatic. An instrumental, it just keeps reinventing itself, even getting a bit Rushish at times before dropping to atmosphere to end. What a number!
Indian Food: Atmospheric tones serve as the intro to this one, building in an expansive texture. It turns into a mid-tempo prog rocker with some great melody lines. This is another show stopper, and, like the last piece, drops to the atmospheric to exit.
Interview: Just what it says it is, this interview with Bennett from 1977 touches on various bands that he has been involved with, including Flash.
Never Stand Behind An Old Piano: This one is pretty much indescribable, except to say that is an unreleased Flash song that is definitely weird. It does make for a fun way to end the album, though.
Gary Hill
MusicStJournal
http://www.musicstreetjournal.com
©2002, Music Street Journal
DME Music Site
It's been a long time since the break-up of FLASH and the band's bassist's first solo effort. This collection of antiques charts the story of missing in action.
ANGELS & GHOSTS CD mintspy/Voiceprint 2001
Ray moved out of site once the combo he shared with former YES men, Peter Banks and Tony Kaye, was well over. And here's an answer for those who ever wondered where the band's name might have come from.
"Watch Your Step", an obscure 1973 single, borrowed it's incendiary riff from "Jumping Jack Flash" while it's B-side, "Never Stand Behind an old Piano", is an additional proof of their ability to rock the joint. Between the two recordings are placed pieces that never surfaced - only because all the projects were abandoned way too early. Some of them include ex-FLASH members, like the Colin Carter sung "Hold On" with Bennett's funky bass, or "Who" and "Everything Changes" featuring Banks smooth guitar lines and Sidonie Jordan's soulful vocal delivery. There's plenty of detail in Ray's liner notes and a fleeting feeling of how great all this could have turned out.
Much of the rest was laid down in guitarist's Ed Fritz's company, 1989-1993, before Bennett ventured into work on his 'WHATEVER FALLS" solo album. The change is remarkable for maturity on display. At first playfulness is full-on, as intense "It's Alright" and nervous "Cool Religion" witness, to calm down later through 'Lay Your Head Down" and salamander crawl to "Don't Miss A Beat" spacious progscapes.
Ray Bennett certainly didn't miss a beat in his time - we did ! With a prospect for blank spaces to be filled, a crime of hiding away these fascinating tunes is forgiven.
*****
Dmitry Epstein.
LET IT ROCK - DME Music Site.
http://dmme.net/
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