Rose - A Taste of Neptune. 1977 Canada

Rose were a band from Barrie, Ontario who managed a 4 album run, including the last two on major label Polydor. And it's easy to see why they were signed up, as 'Ride Away' is the perfect hook laden hard rockin' opener. 'Snakes and Ladders' begins to erode their sound though, as the late 70's styled chorus' were cliched back then, much less today. Still, one cannot ignore the fantastic instrumental work, especially between the guitar and organ. As for the next track, I'm sure the band said to the label "How about we put the lengthy title track here?". "No, no. Label rules state that a lame ballad must go in slot A3". And so it was done. Even here though, a fine guitar solo near the end saves it from the dire straits it was clearly in. And so the album goes between hard rock, AOR, and progressive styled mid sections... basically a Crystal Ball-era Styx combined with the instrumental backdrop of Boston. 'Bangin' My Head Against the Wall' performs an excellent hard rock jam towards the end of the tune. The final track promises an epic length progressive rock extravaganza, but unfortunately it's more of the same, and disappointment ensues. A good album on the whole, one that would have been for certain welcome on the radio in 1977. But it wasn't to be, and Rose was tossed into the trash heap with countless others, remembered fondly by a loyal few. At least they got a fair shot and went for it.

This one did manage one legit CD release from Si-Wan in Korea during the 90s. As you can imagine, given the scarcity of that product these days, it's become expensive.