Rockfreaks.net

Alan Morse

Four O'Clock And Hysteria

Written by: MY on 23/04/2007 14:51:00

Being a huge fan of Gong, Allan Holdsworth and Frank Zappa, I'm unsure how pleased I am to find an album that harks so distinctly back to those mid to late 70s jazz rock themes. There's even a Jean Luc Ponty electric violin genius thrown in the mix for good measure. Part of me is excited to hear something so ultimately groovy and professionally executed, but another part of me gazes at the calendar and wishes for more, bearing in mind it's been 30 years or so since the heights of this genre.

If nobody told me any different I would assume, even from the crisp clean production, that this record was released in 1977. So immaculate is its presentation and overall atmosphere.

It's a record that will definitely appeal to the tab writing, sheet music reading Muso's that can afford to set aside eight hours a day for practicing their art but for those of us with less luck or talent it quickly dissipates from a cheerfully funky, jazz rock statement into a vacuous display of technical ability and expensive rack mounted effects units. Not even the pseudo metal chugging of "The Rite of Left" can save this album from mediocrity.

Apparently Morse has a degree in electrical engineering and owns an electronics manufacturing company which ultimately says it all about this album. I bow my head in respect to such flawless musicianship but cannot tell a lie. It's soulless noodling for the sake of itself.

Download: Cold Fusion
For the fans of: Alan Holdsworth, Chick Corea
Listen: MySpace

Release date 23.04.2007
Inside Out Music
Provided by Target ApS

(Written by Peter Theobalds)