Finch - Glory of the Inner Force. 1975 Netherlands

Glory of the Inner Force is quite simply hyper kinetic instrumental progressive rock, or what we used to call symphonic fusion. I've owned this album for over 30 years, and I never tire of it. One criticism I've constantly heard about Finch is that they're more about chops than composition, and yet I hear it completely different. Despite the fast paced nature of the recordings, and the many twist and turns that goes on throughout each track, there is also a strong melodic component as well - very similar to Focus regarding this latter characteristic. I personally think Glory of the Inner Force is one of those great "starter" albums to new fans of the genre. It's immediately likeable - and it rocks hard. At this point in my life, Glory of the Inner Force will likely always be a Top 50 album for me.

Ownership: LP: 1975 Negram. Single sleeve. Online acquisition (1999).

LP: 1975 ATCO (USA). Single sleeve. Purchased at Bill's Records in Dallas (1985). 

CD: 1994 Belle Antique (Japan). Jewel case. Gold disc with liners in Japanese. Features the Colossus single, which is also excellent, and similar to the LP proper.

The ATCO release is one of the very first European "obscurities" I had discovered in the middle 80s while still in college. This was back at a time when I bought albums strictly on how they looked, and how long the songs were. I had become pretty adept at it by this point, and Finch was an obvious target once I saw it. Besides they had a drummer named Beer! Hey, this was long before the internet, and research materials were non-existent back then. Crate digger veterans will know what I mean here! For years, I had wanted a copy of the Dutch original, which I think is the nicer cover. In the catalog days of the late 80s and 90s, this was a fairly expensive item.

But when the great market equalizer ebay came along, it turned out there was plenty of supply. I bought one cheap as soon as possible and even today you can find one at a very reasonable price. The American version is very common. However finding one without a massive promo sticker and sawcuts is much more challenging. 

1985; 1994; 1/6/15 (new entry); 10/31/19