Gnidrolog

Gnidrolog - Lady Lake - 1972 - RCA


One of the best original prog albums of the 1970's.Gnidrolog combines the bluesy prog and folky flute sounds of Jethro Tull with the dark atmospheric and wind instrumental sound of Van Der Graff Generator to create a sublime album.A forgotten classic.


TRACKS

1. I could never be a soldier
2. Ship
3. A dog with no collar
4. Lady Lake
5. Same dreams
6. Social embarrassment


LINE-UP

Stewart Goldring / lead guitar
Colin Goldring / rhythm guitar, vocals, recorder, tenor horn
Nigel Pegrum / percussion, flute, oboe
John Earle / soprano, tenor, baritone saxes, flute, lead vocal on "Social Embarassment"
Peter Cowling / bass guitar, cellos
Charlotte Fendrich / piano on "Same Dreams"


REVIEWS


"Lady Lake" was a slightly more polished and simplistic album than the debut. The opening track "I Could Never Be a Soldier" have some Gentle Giant-ish melody lines and some very Tull-ish flute playing, but is really not all that complex despite its 12 minutes. "Ship" reminds a little of the more atmospheric moments of Hammill/VDGG, and is another highlight on this obscure classic. The title-track seems to be more jazz-influenced, and is probably the least accessible track on the album. And "Social Embarrassment" sounds more Gentle Giant than GG themselves. The album also featured some shorter and more mellow pieces like "A Dog With No Collar". And yes, Gnidrolog was also one of the few progressive rock bands without any keyboards at all, but with such excellency as this you'll not miss it. Impossible to dislike if you like the three mentioned bands. © 1998-2007 vintageprog.com
This is the second and last Gnidrolog album (not counting the 'Live' album of the same year) before they split for a long 17 years (read the "Gnosis" - Gnidrolog'2000 - detailed review). So, the only Gnidrolog album I haven't listened to is their debut. I remember just a few bands in the history of Progressive Rock that suddenly ceased to exist after they released a masterpiece or at least the best album in their discography. Apart from Gnidrolog, these first of all are UK (after "Danger Money"), Argent (after "Counterpoint"), Light (after "Light"), and a few more, maybe. There will be some new "Top" sections on Progressor, including "The Most Underrated / Overrated Bands In the History of Prog". I see, you are keen-witted readers, and you are quite right - you'll see these three forementioned bands exactly among the underrated ones...
First off, "Lady Lake" is the work of unique originality. In spite of the presence of already universally recognized (a lot of) Titans and (lots of) other quite strong and original bands cultivating the same fields of Progressive Rock, "Lady Lake" is full of Inspiration and free of influences.
Recently reissued on CD, this is an album of excellent sound quality, which is quite rare for those years. As a real Classic For the Future, "Lady Lake" today is even more than simply listenable work (of genius). While all its vocal themes are excellent, all the instrumental parts within each separate song are simply outstanding with their powerful (real!) jams, full of incredible, diverse interplays between all the instrument(alist)s but especially between saxophones / flutes and lead guitar.
As well as in the case of "Gnosis", (and in spite of the fact that they are) twin-brothers Stewart (lead guitar, backing vocals) and Colin Goldring (rhythm guitar, lead vocals) composed all these songs separately from each other, too, as they were / still are going quite diffferent ways in composing. And if instrumental arrangements (that are made by all the band members, though) in all their songs have some obvious similar structures, Colin prefers more melodic vocal themes, whereas Stewart uses his brother's lyrics for more adventurous singing. The final song is a purely instrumental piece played virtuostically by Stewart on acoustic guitar only. This is one a few real gems of that 'style' together with Mood For the Day (by Steve Howe, from "Fragile", Yes-1972-I), Horizons (by Steve Hackett, from "Foxtrot", Genesis-1972), ...
Of course, the fact that "Lady Lake" was performed with just a few piano touches (ie actually without keyboards), is maybe, even maximizing its distinctly original sound, but to be honest, I'd love if Nessa Glen (female keyboardist for the newest Gnidrolog album) could provide all across the "Lady Lake" (except for the last track, of course!) with her very effective keyboard passages for the next reissue (and I believe in it) of this - if not criminally (I consider it is simply impossibly to use such a word and all the likes at least with regard to Progressive / Classical Music - these being the best manifestations of the most constructive Energy in the world!), then inadmissibly - underrated masterpiece.
© VM. September 11, 2000 http://www.progressor.net/review/gnidrolog_1972.html
Gnidrolog are one of the more overlooked bands that took part in the progressive rock explosion in Britain around 1971-73. Why the band is nearly forgotten nowadays is a mystery to me. When Mike Prete first played me Lady Lake, my jaw literally dropped. Expecting some banal proto-progressive stuff, I was pleasantly surprised to hear powerful, full-blown progressive rock with an dark, original feel. The best comparisons I can make would be to groups like Van der Graaf Generator, Jethro Tull and Gentle Giant, and Gnidrolog often meets the same level of brilliance as those bands. Of course, it would be mistaken to say that Gnidrolog were simply heavily influenced by these bands, since the group was coexisting and rose to prominence in tandem with those groups. In fact, judging from their gig history, Gnidrolog were fairly integral to the prog scene at the time, playing shows with everyone from Colosseum, Wishbone Ash and Greenslade to Gentle Giant, Soft Machine, King Crimson and even Magma. So why hasn't anyone ever heard of these guys? Why are they forever condemned to obscurity, to be uncovered years later by only the most intrepid of prog archaeologists? Well, maybe the fact that they only released two albums had something to do with it. Besides that, I'll be damned if I can figure it out. Actually, Gnidrolog recently reformed and put out a new studio album, Gnosis, which has gotten some good reviews, although I haven't heard it yet. Still, pick up In Spite of Harry's Toenail or better yet, their opus Lady Lake, and prepare to be bowled over.
This is a very surprising and overlooked album of dark progressive rock from the early 70s. Gnidrolog sounds like a mixture of early Jethro Tull and Van der Graaf Generator, with heavy emphasis on both flute and saxophone. Much of the songs are structured around fairly conventional vocal melodies, with cool lyrics backed by familiar song structures, before breaking into incredible chaotic jams full of flute, sax and guitar interplay. The opening two tracks, "I Could Never Be a Soldier" and "Ship," are mindblowing, full of dark melodies led by Colin Goldring, whose emotional tone bears a passing resemblance to Peter Hammill's.
Overall, this a vastly underrated album that must have been overshadowed by the other prog gems released at that same time. Lady Lake is a great work what will appeal to fans looking for a unique, dark mix of early Tull and VdGG.
© Greg Northrup 7/8/2001 http://gnosis2000.net/reviews/gnidrolog.htm

This is an obscure classic from the 70s recently re-released on CD. Lady Lake is a dark symphonic epic in the vein of early blues-inspired progressive rock. The band draws from the sounds of early Tull, Gentle Giant and Van Der Graaf Generator, while adding a more folk/medieval touch due to the prominent addition of woodwind instruments. The only keyboard presence is a small bit of piano on "Same Dreams," but it is not missed.
The majority of the songs start out as rather typical rock pieces of the time, but build in intensity and complexity. This is most evident on "I Could Never Be A Soldier," which starts out as a rather simple piece, but is then transformed into a chaotic maelstrom of haunting vocals, wailing sax and pounding bass. Colin Goldring's vocal delivery is reminiscent of Peter Hammill, especially evident and powerful on "Ship." Some have complained that the lyrics sound dated, being that they are sort of idealistic in the late 60s/early 70s way, but I don't mind them, and they shouldn't detract from the music at all.
The title track shows the band at their most complex instrumentally, with different stylistic variations throughout the piece, which includes a jazz-influenced introduction with woodwinds that sound like brass instruments at points. The rest of the song takes on a more Van Der Graaf vibe to it with a powerful dirge and chaotic squeaks and squawks from the sax and cello. The final track, "Social Embarrassment" is also full of interesting instrumental and vocals ideas, and shows the most resemblance to Gentle Giant.
This is a fine example of dark symphonic prog with overtones of early Tull, VdGG, Gentle Giant, as well as medieval influences. Highly recommended to fans of aforementioned bands and early symphonic prog in general. © Mike Prete 7/8/2001 http://gnosis2000.net/reviews/gnidrolog.htm

BIO (Wikipedia)

Gnidrolog is a British progressive rock band with a unique sound that is often compared to better known bands such as Van Der Graaf Generator, Jethro Tull and Gentle Giant.The band was founded in 1969 by twin brothers Colin and Stewart Goldring, who were joined by drummer Nigel Pegrum who came over from Spice (the band that would later evolve into Uriah Heep), Peter Cowling on bass, John Earle on vocals and Charlotte Fendrich on piano. They came up with the strange band name by mixing up the brothers' surnames. In 1972, they released both their debut and sophomore album, In Spite of Harry's Toe-Nail and Lady Lake, before disbanding due to a lack of commercial success. Despite having played gigs with fairly well-known bands like Colosseum, King Crimson, Gentle Giant, Wishbone Ash, Soft Machine and Magma in their brief career, they have always remained relatively obscure.After disbanding, the Goldring brothers formed punk rock band The Pork Dukes in 1976 and later went on to do session work, as did the other members. After a break of 27 years they got back together in 1999 and released their third studio album entitled Gnosis in 2000.