Trapeze were the first act signed by
the Moody Blues to their newly founded
Threshold Records label, and remain the most substantial talent -- along with
Nicky James -- ever to pass through that company's roster, apart from
the Moodies themselves. Those listeners who only know the subsequent albums by
Trapeze may be surprised by this debut effort, the sole recording left behind by the original five-piece version of the band. With
Moody Blues bassist
John Lodge producing a lineup that included ex-
Montanas lead singer
John Jones and guitarist/keyboardist
Terry Rowley alongside singer/guitarist
Mel Galley, bassist
Glenn Hughes, and drummer
Dave Holland, late of
Finders Keepers, the sounds here don't closely resemble the hard-rocking work of the subsequent trio -- there are lush choruses, psychedelic interludes, and hook-laden romantic ballads scattered throughout this record. Yet that trio, of
Hughes,
Galley, and
Holland, is pumping out high-energy music within the context of psychedelic pop/rock throughout this album, which comes off as a much higher-wattage alternative to
the Moody Blues. And in some respects, this album also closely resembles the better moments on those three early
Deep Purple albums (the ones with
Rod Evans on lead vocals), when they were essentially a hard rock outfit still playing pop/rock -- the results aren't bad and, in fact, are quite catchy at times, but it's clear that three of these musicians are holding back to one degree or another in these surroundings.
Galley's high-energy leads and power chords and
Hughes' already larger-than-life bass are the dominant sounds about 60 percent of the time, overpowering much around them, with songs like the
Galley/
Jones-composed
"Fairytale" and
Hughes-authored
"Am I" pointing the way to their future sound -- and even on
Rowley's rock ballad
"Send Me No More Letters," Holland is playing drums about as hard as the music will permit. The core trio does find a good compromise with
Rowley and
Jones' more lyrical, psychedelic pop sensibilities, and
Trapeze probably could have held this sound together longer than they did but for
Jones' and
Rowley's departures. But it's also clear that there was another band trying to break out from within the sound of this lineup, which happened later in the year when
Trapeze were reduced to a trio. ~ Bruce Eder