North Star (Pendragon, 2023)

Pendragon's EPs are always worth a keen listening and this "North Star" is no exception. I'll focus my attention on the title track, a suite divided into three movements (I. A Boy And His Dog, II. As Dead As A Dodo and III. Phoenician Skies), whose atmospheric, pastoral and folk-oriented sounds are a coherent follow-up to the band's 2021 full length album "Love Over Fear". Past the late 2000s and  early 2010s rougher era, Pendragon are back to their signature gorgeous melodic prog. 

...And what a beautiful cover art by Liz Saddington!

I like that, and I like this suite, where dreamy themes, instrumental sketches ans a perfect blend of electric and acoustic instruments (including a guest violin provided byJohanna Stroud) build up 18 minutes of bucolic and varied music. Nick Barrett is obviously in the foreground not only with the beautiful electric guitar final solo, but also with a wide choice of acoustic guitars and his well known, distinctive voice. The whole track is permeated by the almost spiritual colour palette of the Cornish country, something... out of this world!

Paintbox (Pendragon, 1996)

Another fairy song, one of those floating clouds that made Pendragon what they are, that's to say one of the most popular prog bands of the neo-prog era. "Paintbox" comes from the album "The Masquerade Overture" and is kind of a manifesto of Nick Barrett's guitar. Dreamy and liquid, this instrument is perfectly enhanced by all the other musicians and especially by Clive Nolan, displaying magical keyboards everywhere, and Peter Gee, whose bass guitar flows like a mountain stream through the Enchanted Forest.

Thank you, Mr. Barrett and... go on proggin'!

 

The sung theme is simply perfect, catchy but never trivial, and the instrumental sections are sweet and a hundred feet above the ground. I know that some of the most sophisticated proggers out there will consider this song too commercial and mellow for their tastes, but I'm a simple man and "Paintbox" makes me dream and makes me shiver so deep inside my soul. Will you forgive me?

The Shadow (Pendragon, 1996)

The first thing I thought when I first listened to this track was: "Wow... what a melody!". And there is actually a splendid theme here, one of those you're obliged to sing along. Then, I appreciated all the rest: the beautiful arrangement, the bridges, the instrumental parts and so on. This song is an excellent specimen of what some reviewers call neo-prog, whatever this word means.

"The Shadow" comes from "The Masquerade Overture" album.

For sure, I like the way Nick Barrett & friends mix easy and even catchy themes with guitar and keyboard solos, tempo changes and other traditionally progressive features. If you know how to manage such a blend, you can do miracles and that's exactly what Pendragon did with "The Shadow"... a musical dream, a colourful trip and a surprisingly modern, almost essential sound. So thank you for the music, my Gloucherstershire friends!

Not of This World (Pendragon, 2001)

Here you are a three part suite by Pendragon, that's also the title track of their 2001 album. The first part is full of energy, an awesome instrumental intro one could put on the first page of a progressive rock handbook. Then the sung part comes in, a well found and lively melody, a hearty crescendo with an atmospheric interlude leading to the Ridi pagliaccio quotation. Clive Nolan does a great work on keyboards in the subsequent bridge, then the listener enjoys a typical Pendragon largo.

"Not of This World" was Pendragon's sixth official studio work.

The third part opens on a suspended mood and a new, calm and moody melody fills the air. Nick Barrett knows how to exploit those dreamy moments to put some feeling into his songs and, of course, to launch the final guitar solo, here doubled by vocals. That's Pendragon: you like them or you hate them, you loose yourself in their silky music or you throw away the CD. Guess what I do!

Comatose (Pendragon, 2008)

Pendragon's "Pure" album gathered a good deal of positive reviews both on electronic and on printed music magazines, and this "Comatose" clears up the reasons of such a good reception. It's a suite divided into three parts (I. View from The Seashore, II. Space Cadet, III. Home And Dry) and very, very diversified in its moods. Almost metal moments and highly sensitive sections, up tempo riffs and romantic melodies follow one another during the track, providing nearly 20 minutes of real, deep emotions.

 

"Pure" was Pendragon's eighth studio album.

Old Pendragon gentle atmospheres are there, but a darker vein runs through this epic, so that the whole composition is a succession of bright and obscure passages, and all the transitions are  brilliant, something I especially appeciate in a prog suite. Two final special mentions go to Nick Barrett's solos (and that's rather obvious) and to Scott Higham's drumming, a most dynamic and creative one... let alone Mr. Nolan's skills. The lyrics are also worth the listener's attention, dealing with violence and human weakness.

Breaking The Spell (Pendragon, 1993)

If you ask Pendragon fans to choose the most representative Pendragon's song, many of them will likely say "Breaking The Spell", from 1993 "Windows of Life" album. In fact, this song has in it all the main musical features of Nick Barrett's band: a beautiful melody, before all the rest, well written and well arranged.

Nick Barrett in a 2009 concert. Photo from "Background Magazine".

Then, in no particular order: airy and majestic guitar solos, philosophical lyrics about human life and its meaning, spacey keyboards provided by Mr. Clive Nolan and, last but not least, a good deal of emotions. The changes are pleasant and sweep away any boredom risks, something Barrett's last solo would have prevented in any case. Pendragon at their best, I certify that.

And We'll Go Hunting Deer (Pendragon, 1991)

I'll never be able to describe the kick I get inside me each time I listen to the intro of "And We'll Go Hunting Deer". Just a few piano touches and a sad melody, but oh so well done! And the rest of the song - taken from the album "The World" - is just the same to me, a series of inner sensations and delicate feelings. Many proggers out there will twist their noses and find such a track too mellow for them. But I love it. There's an easy prog rock inside this song, a beautiful guitar - well, we all know Mr. Barrett - but the way Nick shows off his feelings is simply striking.

So many good songs in this album...

The suspended moods he creates along with his fellows and the impressionistic way the band have to paint a world apart reach a peak in this song and I loose my mind inside such a fairy and colourful world. It'a quite a positive song, I daresay optimistic. Clive Nolan and his keyboards are like rays of light from behind the hills and if there aren't many tempo changes here, the rythm drives me mad. So, excuse me, I must put this song in my blog.

2 am (Pendragon, 1988)

Coming from Pendragon, this is a very unusual song. Warm and lazy, sax driven, short and compact. Well, all the "Kowtow" album is a chapter apart in the band's career, but this is a very good song (alas, I couldn't say the same for all the tracks in this record...) and certainly deserves a presentation in this blog, for what it's worth. I don't know why, but "2 AM" has a hypnotic lure on me. Maybe it's because of its airy melody or the passionate vocals, or even the desperate lyrics. It doesn't matter to me.

Nick Barrett and Clive Nolan in concert.

For sure, if ever I listened to a great intimate prog song, this is the one. Its plain structure exalts one of the most important Nick Barrett's features: his feeling. That's why this track flies high above the genre and the period and lingers on in my memory and in my very heart.

If I Were The Wind (Pendragon, 2001)

This is what I call a beautiful prog song. It's roughly divided in three parts: the long and magic intro where Nick Barrett and Co. draw a stormy landscape, then the main sung theme, tight and enthralling with its rock guitar, finally a melodic, piano driven sung theme. There's magic in this song, in each part of it, and there's also passion, specially conveyed by Barret's vocal interpretation, full of warm tones and inner shades.

A very good pic recently posted by Nick in his own blog on Pendragon's site:

www.pendragon.mu

Yes, this is the little, big miracle of Pendragon's best tracks: epic and intimacy go on together so well. "If I Were The Wind" (taken from "Not of This World" album) provides a great deal of both and from the very first chord it wipes out the grey real world and carries the listener to a keen, colourful planet in the galaxy of prog rock. That's why I like this band and I'll always be grateful for their music.

The Wishing Well (Pendragon, 2005)

"The Wishing Well" is the 22 minute and 4 part suite from the "Believe" album, released in 2005 and inspiring mixed feelings among the band's fans for a questionable lack of melodies. Be that as it may, this track is a prog treat, IMHO. Melodic and rock elements follow one another in a very natural way and each part is coherent with the whole lot, even if one could easily listen to each part as a song on its own. I specially like the main theme, wide and round as a tasty fruit and also the passages from the rockier to the softer sections.

A suggestive cover art for a much debated album.

As Always, Nick Barrett plays the leading role with his guitars and vocals, but all the instruments are there and Clive Nolan's keyboards are an essential point when it comes to create suspended atmospheres. Also the lyrics fit in the epic architecture of the track, reflecting upon human life crossroads. I couldn't choose one single part as my favourite, perhaps I specially like the first and the last movements. In short, an excellent piece of work, proving once again that neo-prog is just... prog!

The Last Man on Earth (Pendragon, 1993)

Definitely one of my favourite songs by Nick Barrett's group. This gentle little suite is about death and separation, but also about the links that never end between those who die and those still alive. Like many other Pendragon's songs, you can find this a little mincing, but just listen twice and you'll see there's nothing less than sincere. It's a touching musical portrait of two worlds, and a very british one, too. The delicate athmosphere is somentimes broken by uptempo passages, but the general impression is one of lightness and peace.

 

 

Pendragon in concert. 

 

In about 15 minutes, the two main themes intertwine and create here and now spaces where for guitar and keyboard to go solo. When the track is over, I always stay there a little longer and think over. A good reason to listen to it once again.