Description

2016 reissue on black vinyl

After his eponymous band Greenslade fell apart in the wake of 1975’s Time & Tide, keyboardist Dave Greenslade set off on his own path, constructing a loose concept album based on the American West. For listeners unfamiliar either with Greenslade or his first band Colosseum, the Roger Dean cover art for Cactus Choir functions as a good tipoff that this 1976 LP should not be seen as a companion to the Western fantasia of Elton John’s Tumbleweed Connection. This is a thoroughly British prog rock record but it isn’t as dense as the keyboardist’s previous projects, possessing a jaunty sense of humor — one that surfaces clearly on “Country Dance,” along with the “Oh! Susanna” quotation on “Finale” — and a lightness that keeps the nearly cinematic sense of drama somewhat humble. Make no mistake, this is certainly an album that will only appeal to aficionados of ’70s prog rock — the record sounds precisely like the Roger Dean artwork looks, filled with densely saturated colors and intricately detailed curlicues — but Greenslade’s whimsy does keep Cactus Choir interesting and not too pompous.

Track list:
1. Pedros Party
2. Gettysburg
3. Swings And Roundabouts
4. Time Takes My Time
5. Forever And Ever
6. Cactus Choir
a) The Rider
b) Greeley And The Rest
c) March At Sunset
d) Country Dance
e) Finale