I first stumbled upon them when Rolling Stone magazine included the debut on their list of the 50 best progressive rock albums of all time. 'Safety In Numbers' is their third album and to this date the only one to be recorded without any direct involvement of band leader Polumbo, although he penned all of the songs on the first side. As far as I'm aware he left amicably during this time before returning for 1980s 'White Music' and he his thanked in the albums liner notes. Gary Lee Chappell took on the lead vocals for this one album while guitarist Rick Witkowski was largely responsible for the music on the second side. Under these circumstances it is remarkable that this album is as good as it is.Album highlights include the opening track 'Nuclear Apathy' which starts out on acoustic guitar with sombre vocals before breaking out into a fierce prog rocker with a riff to die for. A lyrical highlight is 'Flashlight' again with a great lead guitar and some very busy drumming and bass playing it features the great repeating chorus with one of the best sexual innuendos in rock music."She showed him her x-rayshe turned on his flashlight of love"'Lighten Up McGraw' and 'Give Myself To You' are more standard rock tracks albeit with great riffs and melodies. Lyrically again very funny is 'A Night On The Town' depicting a poor fellow who is "high on romance" and takes his girl out on a rather.. inexpensive date. Closing track 'Safety In Numbers' (side fact, the first side closing prelude to this song is only available on the vinyl, since this album has not seen a standalone CD release yet) ends the album in a dramatic fashion with great interplay and a late mellotron appearance. The only track I'm not that keen on is the ballad 'Long Nights'. first published at 'audio.philip' on Instagram social review comments Review PermalinkPosted Tuesday, March 22, 2022 Review this album Report (Review #2712339)
white music crack the sky 15
Unfortunately the music is nowhere near the standards enjoyed in the 70s and would probably be unfair to expect so. There are 12 mid-tempo compositions around the 4-minute mark best described as indifferent rock. Here we have mainly classic retro rock, mixed with funk (Hit) and a bit of dance (Jacket, Bang), alternative rock (Big Dipper, Talk Talk) with the occasional good riffing reminiscent of Blue Oyster Cult (Raining Rain). 'Raining Rain' along with the melodic closing 'Home Tonight' are probably the two songs worthy of mention. Sadly, the title tracks and accompanying lyrics sound extremely shallow, even for a 'traditional' rock album, leaving with little to take away. 'Red Rosary' has a Thin Lizzy ballad feeling which may appeal to vintage rock fans.Best invest in the 70s releases of Crack the Sky, this may appeal only to fans. 1.5 stars. social review comments Review PermalinkPosted Thursday, September 27, 2018 Review this album Report (Review #2038927)
The first two tracks had my attention and I was thinking I had something really good here. "Safety In Numbers" opens with strummed guitar before it turns fuller with clapping before settling back with vocals. A full sound on the chorus. A pretty good opener. "Lighten Up McGraw" is my favourite by far. I like the sound of the guitar in the intro as it starts and stops before kicking in. Nice. Vocals follow. I like the drums and bass as well. The best part is that instrumental section after 3 minutes as the guitar lights it up.I'm not going to say much about the rest because I don't like to be insulting but "Nuclear Apathy" isn't bad at all but I found as the album played out I got less interested. The three tracks left off the original probably shouldn't have been added here although that's just my opinion. I am amused with "Jungle Man Lonely" though for some reason(haha). I was surprised how much the vocals and harmonies on "Flashlight(Of Love)" reminded me of SPOCK'S BEARD just not as good.A low 3 stars as I'm just into commercial sounding music although there is one proggy track in my opinion. This just doesn't suit my poor tastes I guess. social review comments Review PermalinkPosted Wednesday, June 20, 2018 Review this album Report (Review #1940118)
The eponymous of CRACK THE SKY is energetic, heavy and interesting. The first two tracks ( Hold on and Surf City) are the hooks that make you listen to this 13-tracks long progressive (?) hard rock piece. I'll tackle this detail about my doubt regarding this being properly progressive. I find the definition rather shady, particularly on those Canadian lads, because their sound is distinctive hard, distorted rock. I must agree there's many unconventional structures featured, but sounding different isn't enough to be 'progressive' properly in my opinion. However, it is progressive because that's how it's deemed, and I won't question this, after all the general consensus, is, after all, what makes a definition... a definition. So if everyone says "this is prog", well, this is prog. Oh, the pragmatic wonder of socially constructed concepts. But as much as "progressive" is debatable, "hard rock" isn't. It is almost distilled AC/DCidic rock purity.Back to the album, it's perhaps more humoristic than one would expect. Hold On, Surf City, Sea Epic, She's a Dancer, Robots for Ronnie; Eileen, I Lean on You (I bet my chips the music is just a filler and the whole purpose was to put this pun on the album), Dr. Octopus (pt. 2) (for those with the bigger version)... they're a very humorous band. This factor brings much freshness to the lyrics, and therefore to the songs. The guitar is superb and ABSURDLY distorted - some will feast, others will cringe ('distortion sucks' purists, mostly).Each track is also VERY unique on their own: Hold On is features powerful guitar riffs and solos. Rhythmically, it is relatively complex, and that's going to be enough for me to name it 'prog' and call it a day. Surf City's verse is interesting, resembling GENTLE GIANT's Knots. Sea Epic is an orchestral epic tale about a man on a boat praying to God, whom... listen to his prayers, in a certain way. The humor here is the flavor that brings interest to the music. Lastly, there's - accordingly, to lyrics sites - the band's most viewed song, She's a Dancer offers an unforeseen funky grip on the track, whose solo section also could be deemed as "progressive". The lyrics' buildup to the "plot twist" is pretty interesting, and will most likely leave you with a grin.If you like hard rock, whether or not proggy, listen to this track. It's guaranteed you'll enjoy at least one of the abundant tracks. If you're into humor, then that's a plus. CRACK THE SKY is great at making you smile both from the good song and good jokes they produce. If you like IRON MAIDEN, give this a shot too - the vocalist definitively resembles, at least slightly, Bruce Dickinson. If you like THE SEX PISTOLS, jump to the last track - Dr. Octopus (pt. 2). I guess the vocalist is really good at sounding like other people. social review comments Review PermalinkPosted Tuesday, December 27, 2016 Review this album Report (Review #1673197)
CTS All Access is a spectacular video of the band performing at the annual progressive rock festival called "The Rights of Spring Festival" better known as ROSFEST, which takes place every May in Gettysburg Pennsylvania. First of all, this video brilliantly captures that essence of CTS and is extremely enjoyable, especially for long time fans and those who have actually had the opportunity to see them live. This video provides a nice live overview of the band from their early days (1970's) through their 80's resurgence, 90s punk period and onto some of the more recent hipster/prog fusion compositions. The video shows off the undeniable raw talent of the musicians even as they move forward into their senior years. Many bands that have been around for the same period have long lost their technical edge. That is not true with CTS. They still perform with the same precision and energy as they did in the mid-80s. This video includes many of the musicians that played with the band throughout the years. Almost like a "Yes-Union" version of the lineup, including a rare appearance of the original bassist Joe Macre.The first half dozen songs of this performance includes the opening songs from set lists of the past. For any fan that has seen them multiple times this is a very enjoyable aspect of the video.Of course as any CTS fan would know, this band was a generally overlooked by the masses and should have been in the history books with the classic progressive bands such as Yes, Genesis, Kansas, Pink Floyd and King Crimson. The video is clean, and the audio is fantastic. The performance is exceptional and should be a must-have for any progressive rock aficionado. social review comments Review PermalinkPosted Saturday, December 5, 2015 Review this album Report (Review #1496823)
Baltimore City Paper, July 12, 1995John Palumbo is having troublewith his lawn mower. It is an overcast spring afternoon in theshady Philadelphia suburb where he lives. A white 1975 Porsche and apurple Intrepid sit in the driveway. The mower starts but coughsperiodically. He kills the engine.
Palumbo proudly shows me around theone-story rancher he and his wife Mary purchased in February. Now 44,Palumbo has navigated middle age well. He is thin--not too thin--andtan. The house is larger than it looks from the outside, buried as itis by shrubbery. The pool is freshly painted but empty. The onlysigns of his past life are a framed photo of John Lennon in thehallway and a white Stratocaster in Ian's room. 2ff7e9595c
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