I had longed questioned the quality of Lady Lake, Gnidrolog's sophomore effort. It seemed to be highly-touted among collectors worldwide, many times at the expense of the debut In Spite of Harry's Toe-Nail - an album I enjoyed from the first time I heard it. I had always figured it was to increase the value of the album, rather than an honest assessment of the music itself. And while I still prefer the herky-jerkiness of the debut, I've come to the realization that Lady Lake is indeed a fine work. It's not as immediately apparent for someone who is as meter focused as I tend to be, but yet there's a maturity and depth that I missed in my overanxious youth. In fact, the album ties in well with other top level UK albums like Raw Material and Spring - other works that took awhile for me to appreciate. Now I can't get enough of this peculiar breed of UK rock from the early 1970s. The addition of a prevalent woodwinds player also helps considerably. The title track comes close to horn rock, which I find a welcome development, but likely to further irritate those who are not fond of the genre.
Ownership: LP: 1972 RCA. Single sleeve. Online acquisition (2018).
The above replaced the Si-Wan reissue LP which was my original copy (1998).
1998; 10//04; 2009; 3/7/10 (new entry); 6/10/21
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