Tuesday, February 21, 2023

Strider - Misunderstood (1974 uk, good hard rock, 2009 digipak remaster)



Misunderstood, is well worth the effort; hard rock without being overbearingly heavy, it's got great songs, all-round good musicianship and superb dynamics (listen to opener Open Your Eyes for proof). A couple of tracks on side two feature Mellotron strings from Ian Kewley, but they're not exactly classics of the genre; Wing Tips is excellent, a bit of a mini-epic, in fact, while Take It Or Leave It is more of a rocker, with a quick burst of Mellotron in the slow middle-eight and its reprise. 
Tracks
1. Open Your Eyes (Gary Grainger, Ian Kewley, Rob Elliott) - 4:57
2. Misunderstood (Gary Grainger, Ian Kewley, Lee Strzelczyk, Rob Elliott) - 5:53
3. Crossed Line (Gary Grainger, Jack Noton, Rob Elliott) - 3:44
4. Seems So Easy (Brian Leigh, Gary Grainger, Rob Elliott) - 5:23
5. Already Monday (Gary Grainger, Rob Elliott) - 5:03
6. Wing Tips (Ian Kewley, Jack Noton) - 6:17
7. Take It Or Leave It (Gary Grainger, Rob Elliott) - 4:23
8. Searching The Clouds (Gary Grainger, Ian Kewley, Rob Elliott) - 4:38

Strider
*Rob Elliott - Lead Vocals
*Gary Grainger - Lead, Rhythm Guitar
*Ian Kewley - Electric Piano, Grand Piano, Hammond, Mellotron, Moog, French Horn, Backing Vocals
*Tony Brock - Drums, Vocals 
*Lee Strzelczyk - Bass 
With
*Jennie Haan - Backing Vocals