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Title: Circus
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Category: AOR
Year: 1998
Label: Victory Alley Records
Catalog Number:
Personnel
Pete Hodson vocals, electric and acoustic guitars, keyboards, producer
Bill Welch vocals, acoustic guitar
Larry Nero vocals
Dean Christiano drums
Ed Merola bass
Jeff Cannata producer
Tracks
| 1. | So Long to Yesterday | 3:53 |
| 2. | Guilty | 4:10 |
| 3. | Circus | 3:08 |
| 4. | Calling Out | 3:55 |
| 5. | Maybe | 2:49 |
| 6. | Believe | 3:50 |
| 7. | Time Will Heal You | 2:38 |
| 8. | Paradise | 4:26 |
| 9. | Don't Wanna Wait | 4:08 |
| 10. | Part of a Dream | 3:38 |
| 11. | Let Love Lead the Way | 4:00 |
| 12. | Lessons | 6:52 |
| | |
|
| Total Running Time: | 47:27 |
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|
Heavy Harmonies Review |
| From: Dan |
Date: March 18, 2003 at 1:45 |
| Well, well, well...every now and then a CD comes along out of nowhere and just absolutely floors you with its harmony, melody, production, and sheer musicianship. This is just such an album! Laid-back "West Coast" AOR with wonderful hooks and harmonies. The influences here are myriad, with interwoven touches of Toto, CSN, Chicago, Boston, Yes, and even 4 Him and Dan Fogelberg...overall a very "late '70s" feel to the album, but with upscale production. Track By Track: - So Long to Yesterday (3:53). This is probably my favorite track on the album. Acoustic verses balanced with a powerful chorus reminiscent of Boston or 80s-era Yes (which isn't surprising, as it is this type of vocal harmony which endears Jeff Cannata's Watching the World to me).
- Guilty (4:10). A very CSN-ish mid-tempo ballad, very smooth and mellow.
- Circus (3:08). This song reminds of vintage 4 Him, straight from The Basics of Life, with once again tinges of CSN in the choruses. Good keyboard work throughout. One of the more upbeat tracks on the album.
- Calling Out (3:55). We drop back down a notch or two to a mid-tempo ballad. There's something about the bridge harmonies on this track that I just love, *but* the harmonies disappear at the chorus! AUGH! Buildup, BUILDUP,.....letdown. Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad track by any means; I would have loved to see the chorus go over the top...
- Maybe (2:49). A very acoustic Dan Fogelberg/CSN-type ballad. Vocal harmonies with just the barest of acoustic instrumentation makes for a wonderful interlude. Very well executed!
- Believe (3:50). While this song is fairly nondescript, you find yourself losing yourself in the melodies, and before you know it, the song is over. An upbeat, romantic tune.
- Time Will Heal You (2:38). Some interesting instrumentation starts off this mid-tempo track. I'll be honest; this one didn't work that well for me. I kept hearing Hootie and the Blowfish during the initial verse. Luckily, that disappears once you get to the chorus, but the song never quite "does it" for me.
- Paradise (4:26). This one screamed out Simon and Garfunkel to me, very reminiscent of Homeward Bound. It's a nice little groove that works very well...
- Don't Wanna Wait (4:08). This opens up with a nice heavy guitar riff and keyboard intro that leads into a moderately rocking tune that reminds me (not sure why) of the theme from Friends...better harmonies though.
- Part of a Dream (3:38). This one is a rocker that exudes all sorts of harmonic comparisons, I hear Chicago, Zebra, Loverboy, and even a little bit of Night Ranger, while instrumentally, it's more of an '80s Europop ditty. One of the best tracks on the album, just loaded with harmonies.
- Let Love Lead the Way (4:00). Another rocker, this reminds me of the James Young-led Styx tunes, blended with bit of older REO Speedwagon on the chorus.
- Lessons (6:52). We close out the album with a wonderfully arranged ballad, featuring some nice piano work. This haunting track reminds me eerily of Styx's Boat on the River, with a very CSN chorus.
This group takes the very best musical subtleties from many classic AOR groups and blends them into a style that is uniquely their own. The musicianship is top notch, the production superb, and sure to please any fan of '70s-'80s AOR. This effort far surpasses many of the efforts being released on major labels these days! Rating: 90/100
|
Existing comments about this CD
| From: Rycheage |
Date: February 8, 2004 at 16:31 |
| Overall, Z Plan have released a totally appropriate slice of melodic rock, which sits quite comfortably across a range of musical genres. Those people out there who appreciate music spanning 3 decades in a fresh nineties approach will find Z Plan to their liking.
|
| From: Dean |
Date: March 20, 2004 at 12:05 |
| This is something which i really, really thought I would just hate. Instead I was taken back to the quality arena rock sound as performed by bands like Boston, Reo, Night Ranger etc. High quality stuff that is very well performed. The vocal harmonies are also top notch. Koogles and AOR Freaky-what is your take on these guys? Normally, you guys are all over this kind of stuff. 9/10 for me.
|
| From: Music Man |
Date: April 21, 2004 at 9:56 |
| A smooth slice of melodic AOR dripping with hooks and harmonies.
|
| From: Hrudet |
Date: April 21, 2004 at 22:14 |
| For me they are a mix of Venice, Nelson and Innuendo, while their seventies feel harks back to the likes of Crosby Stills And Nash, no doubt due to the strong three part vocal harmonies supplied by Hodson, Welch and Nero. Smooth AOR at its best here. "So Long To Yesterday" reminds me of Zebra from their 1st CD. Guitar melodies abound on "Calling Out" and the CSN feel is evident on "Maybe". Excellent harmonies all over this CD. Recommended.
|
| From: graham |
Date: September 17, 2004 at 15:24 |
| brilliant AOR!!!!!! Total Class.....
|
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