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░ ██ ██ Artist: Chameleon ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Rising █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2013 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2015-10-10 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Progressive Rock ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: ShroomAngel Records ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ US band CHAMELEON was formed back in 1969, and was █
█ an active band unit until 1981, primarily █
█ performing live in their local area, from what I █
█ understand. They never got to release any material █
█ while active, but they had a few recording █
█ sessions over the years. These have been collected █
█ and restored, and the end result is the archival █
█ release "Rising", issued by the US label █
█ ShroomAngel Records in 2013. █
█ Chameleon explored a very time typical variety of █
█ '70s US progressive rock on the archival █
█ collection "Rising". This is a band that has been █
█ rather deeply inspired by the classic progressive █
█ rock bands from the UK: Genesis and Camel in █
█ particular, and attempted to create their own US █
█ based version of it. At best done brilliantly, but █
█ the greater majority of the material is of the █
█ kind that hasn't managed to stand the test of time █
█ all that well unfortunately. If you don't mind █
█ that distinct sound of the less than great part of █
█ the '70s, including some rather cliche and odd █
█ keyboard textures and arrangement choices that are █
█ less than stellar, then Chameleon is a band that █
█ merits a check. Opening track Texas Cyclone is the █
█ exception to this description though, a shining █
█ jewel amongst gemstones that went out of style █
█ permanently sometime in the '70s. █
█ █
█ --- █
█ █
█ What is it with Texas? Just when you think they're █
█ a bunch of backward rednecks largely responsible █
█ for both Big Oil and the death of the 35th █
█ President of the United States, the state has █
█ gradually emerged as one of the leaders of █
█ American prog rock going back decades and right up █
█ to our time. Houston quartet Chameleon is one of █
█ those unearthed relics. Active during prog's █
█ heyday in the 1970s though formed in '69 by high █
█ school friends, they were a healthy young band █
█ that composed quite original arty prog influenced █
█ by both the British scene and their domestic █
█ roots. Rising is a collection taken from tapes █
█ made between 1975 and '80 at the converted barn █
█ they used and so the disc does have a somewhat █
█ disconnected feel, but it's a lot better than █
█ nothing. And the sound & mix is reasonably good. █
█ Chameleon did a sort of progressive kaleidescope █
█ of musics they mapped-out carefully and then █
█ injected with a good dose of feeling. When two █
█ brothers are leading, drummer Mike Huey and █
█ bassist Rick Huey, it usually makes for good copy. █
█ With fine enhancement from Craig Gysler's keys and █
█ the guitars of Spencer Clark, Rising is a mystery █
█ box of treasures and terrors both, but the █
█ treasures are surely worth the occasional muck & █
█ mire. At least for any respectable prog excavator. █
█ 'Texas Cyclone' is a decent starter and vaguely █
█ reminds of the kind of Greenslade-ish stuff around █
█ at the time; 'Follow Your Love' is harder and a █
█ touch commercial, and quite good. But 'Pilot █
█ Thoughts' is more interesting if derivative with a █
█ sound that might've caught-on in their time, and █
█ 'Pass Thru the Columbian Mountains' is a delight █
█ of texture and arranging from guitarist Spencer █
█ Clark. Classic '70s hard glam for 'Everyday █
█ Everyway' in the vein of Big Star et al.; Trippy, █
█ even muddy progressive jazz-folk-rock of 'Mirkwood █
█ Forest' doesn't score too many points though it is █
█ an excellent try at a very complex bit; The █
█ unmistakable influence of Donald Fagen and Walter █
█ Becker is heard on 'Saturate'; 'Midnight Matinee' █
█ features good vocal layers, a decent lyric, and █
█ very nice 'Life Positions' has the whole band █
█ pitching-in on writing and at over nine minutes █
█ may be the compositional highlight, the record █
█ closing on verbose but brief 'In My Own Way'. █
█ Though there is nothing Chameleon did that was █
█ important or influential or lasting, it was █
█ honest, quality prog with some personality and a █
█ nice helping of America on the side, and now █
█ finally takes its place among the great unwashed █
█ insignificance of obscure prog rock. They deserve █
█ it, for better or worse. █
█ █
█ --- █
█ █
█ A Houston rock band who switched to a progressive █
█ style after hearing King Crimson, E.L.P, █
█ classic-era Genesis and Yes in the early 70's, █
█ Chameleon went on to record a series of pieces █
█ over the period of 1975 - 1981 before disbanding, █
█ and those tracks have been compiled on this █
█ winning compilation by Shroom Angel Records. █
█ Thankfully the album has a mostly consistent flow, █
█ making it feel like a proper studio album as █
█ opposed to a randomly assembled collection of █
█ scattered tracks, so listeners can approach this █
█ album like a true long-lost prog album from the █
█ vintage area! █
█ `Texas Cyclone' opens the disc in blistering █
█ Yes-style, a track that leaps around with punchy █
█ galloping bass, ethereal guitar strains, a battery █
█ of synths and grand piano rises that come together █
█ in a way that would make Starcastle green with █
█ envy! The mannered vocals here almost sound a █
█ little like Martin Griffiths from Beggars Opera. █
█ `Follow Your Love' is a charging relentless rocker █
█ (the vocals almost channeling Peter Gabriel is a █
█ few spots this time), and despite some more █
█ frantic outbursts, `Pilot Thoughts' offers dreamy █
█ mellow slide-like guitar, gently spiraling synths █
█ and soft acoustic guitar. The verses of `Brave New █
█ World' are jangly and poppy with bouncing bass █
█ work, the chorus full of heavy guitar grunt, and █
█ there's a frantic mini-moog solo in the finale. █
█ `Drool Away' is a dirty slow-burn R&B bluesy █
█ rocker with a subtle funkiness and a scorching █
█ lead vocal, `Pass Thru The Columbian Mountains' an █
█ infectious quirky instrumental with twisting █
█ time-changes around gorgeous snaking bass, █
█ electric-guitar fire, blitzkrieg synth-soloing and █
█ fiery drumming. █
█ `Everyday Everyway' is a fairly uninteresting █
█ grunting heavy rocker, saved by a strangled █
█ instrumental second half, but it really breaks up █
█ the flow of the album - program this one out, CD █
█ listeners! Despite some more obtrusive screeching █
█ hard-rock vocals in the chorus, most of mid- tempo █
█ rocker `Mirkwood Forest' is made up of chilled and █
█ dashing instrumental runs. Ditto for `In The █
█ Heart, a lightly jazzy instrumental stroll. █
█ `Saturate' is a muscular groovy fusion workout, █
█ `Midnight Matinee' an upbeat and sprightly █
█ pop/rocker with ambitious group harmonies and a █
█ spacy Eloy-like middle. `Life Positions' is █
█ another ambitious Yes-like epic rocker that █
█ carefully unfolds with a floating space rock █
█ ambient passages, dramatic heavy fanfares and █
█ dreamy group vocals that's almost as good as █
█ anything that bigger band did! `In My Own Way' █
█ closes the album on a simple, heartfelt ballad, █
█ and it's really rather sweet. █
█ If these recordings had been released back in the █
█ Seventies, I have no doubt Chameleon would still █
█ be being spoken of in positive ways, perhaps as a █
█ talented band that had plenty of their own ideas, █
█ as well as the technical skills to pull off █
█ similar sounds of the above mentioned bands. The █
█ recordings offered on `Rising' are thankfully not █
█ mere leftover discarded scraps compiled together █
█ to take advantage of the wallets of vintage prog █
█ fans hungry for some undiscovered treasures, they █
█ really are worthy of being cherished and enjoyed! █
█ Chameleon were a reliable, humble and technically █
█ able band playing lovely progressive rock. █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. Texas Cyclone 9:41 ░
░ 2. Follow Your Love (Paradise Lost) 3:57 ░
░ 3. Pilot Thoughts 7:24 ░
░ 4. Brave New Way 4:08 ░
░ 5. Drool Away 4:36 ░
░ 6. Pass Through The Columbian Mountains 6:43 ░
░ 7. Everyday Everyway 5:56 ░
░ 8. Mirkwood Forest 6:53 ░
░ 9. In the Heart 5:26 ░
░ 10. Saturate 4:49 ░
░ 11. Midnight Matinee 5:29 ░
░ 12. Life Positions 9:26 ░
░ 13. In My Own Way 3:14 ░
░ 77:42 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
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