Solstice - Silent Dance. 1984 England

Though typically lumped in with the New Wave of British Progressive Rock crowd (or the more common, but dreadful, "Neo Progressive" tag), Solstice were really the odd band out. No Genesis influences here. Perhaps some Renaissance due to the female vocals or even perhaps Yes, because of the generally positive vibes. Solstice play a very beautiful and relaxing progressive rock, with violin, female voice, and searing electric guitar. On this latter point, I could listen to band leader and guitarist Andy Glass all day. He plays in an expressive way like no one else I've ever heard. Recommended.

Ownership: LP: 1984 Equinox. Gatefold with lyrics in the centerpiece. Wonderful artwork. This is one of those albums I started with the CD on, picking up the Brainworks release in 1993. Even though I was following the NWOBPR pretty thoroughly in the 80s, and had visited London record stores in 1984 and 1987 looking for just that, I honestly do not recall seeing this LP anywhere, including mail order. In 2014, I stumbled onto this copy online and snapped it up. It's not really that rare (though scarce here in the States), but I'm glad I secured it anyway. This is the first time for me to hear this album on LP, some 8 years from that event. The CD is a straight reissue and can go.

Our good friend Spyros has the following observation, and since he had a boots-on-the-ground perspective, it's always great to get these first hand accounts: "SOLSTICE were a weird affair. Though by their sound one could easily label them as a neo-prog band, they belonged to the festival scene (being regulars to the most famous free festies of the times with bands like OZRICS, HERE & NOW, HAWKWIND etc). Sonically however, they had nothing in common with the festival bands by being a pure progressive rock combo. They had also little to share with the pomp rock neo-prog clan as they deviated towards Renaissance's folkier edge and the 60s psych prog style. Add to this the fact that in their beginnings they had a late 60s hippy image. Probably the reasons of their limited success; no scene really embraced them as their own... Great band Tom. Count me among their loyal followers."

12/15/13 (new entry); 12/27/21