The Masquerade Overture

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The Masquerade Overture
Pendragon studio album

Publication
(s)

1996

admission

July 1995 to January 1996

Label (s) Toff Records
occupation
  • Vocals, guitar: Nick Barrett
  • Bass: Peter Gee
  • Drums: Fudge Smith

production

Karl Groom

Studio (s)

Halway Houses, Maidenhead

chronology
The Window of Life
(1993) 		The Masquerade Overture Not of This World
(2001)

The Masquerade Overture is the fifth studio album by the British progressive rock band Pendragon . It was released in 1996 on the band's own label, Toff Records.

Creation and publication

The album was recorded from July 1995 to January 1996 at the Halway Houses in Maidenhead . Anthony Plowman, Gwen Ross, Simon Clew, Tracey Hitchings and Tina Riley were involved as backing singers. The Masquerade Overture was mixed and produced by Karl Groom, Bunt Stafford-Clark mastered it. There was also a limited version with a bonus CD and a new edition with a bonus title in 1999.

Track list

  1. The Masquerade Overture - 3:04
  2. As Good as Gold - 7:15
  3. Paintbox - 8:38
  4. The Pursuit of Excellence - 2:37
  5. Guardian of My Soul - 12:42
  6. The Shadow - 9:55
  7. Masters of Illusion - 12:52
Bonus title 1999
  2. The Last Man on Earth (Live) - 14:40
Bonus CD 1996
  1. As Good as Gold - 3:27
  2. Masters of Illusion - 3:33
  3. Schizo - 6:59
  4. The King of the Castle (The Shadow Part 2) - 4:45
Bonus title 2013
  2. Bird of Paradise - 6:55
  4. Midnight Running - 7:44
  6. A Million Miles Away - 3:22

style

Pendragon play catchy neo-prog on The Masquerade Overture with the melodic keyboard and guitar solos typical of the genre. The pieces often begin calmly and increase their tempo as well as the complexity of the instrumentation and rhythm as they progress, only to finish off more calmly. Partly there are Italian choir singing, orchestral arrangements and folk influences.

reception

The press reacted mostly positively to the album. The Baby Blue Pages occasionally complain that The Masquerade Overture “serves [...] too many clichés, sounds very similar for a long time, is often reminiscent of other bands ( Pink Floyd , IQ ) and doesn't bring anything that you haven't already seen somewhere would have heard ”. However, it is also praised, “never before have guitars and keyboards sounded so crystal clear, the sound was never so flawless, the lyrics so sublime, the compositions so sophisticated, the overall impression so polished and clean”. The eclipsed magazine picked The Masquerade Overture on its list of the 150 most important prog albums.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Baby Blue Prog Reviews: Pendragon. The Masquerade Overture , Baby Blue Pages , accessed November 8, 2012.
  2. ↑ Michael Rensen: Pendragon. The Masquerade Overture , Rock Hard # 108, accessed November 8, 2012.
  3. ↑ eclipsed No. 144, p. 36.