For Lady Lake I wrote: "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... 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."
And that's it in a nutshell. Gnidrolog sounds like a less refined Gentle Giant, seemingly on the edge of bursting into wild Krautrock territory but holding just enough back. There are many interludes that soften the edgy mood. My favorite track is 'Time and Space' but there's not a weak moment to be found throughout. One of the better known-but-still-obscure UK prog albums.
Ownership: LP: 1972 RCA. Gatefold. About as textured a cover as you will ever find. Almost like a burlap sack or an etched tabletop. I received this copy in the mail from a gentleman I had met in Helsinki (1993). It was a gift and accompanied by a note that he was dying and he wanted me to have this. I had only spent a couple of hours with him (and others) listening to music one afternoon (not knowing his current fate), so it was incredibly touching. Perhaps the most emotional album I own from that perspective.
CD: 2009 BMG (Japan). Papersleeve edition. Does an admirable job of replicating the gatefold texture, though it's too uniform to be precise. I think it would be near impossible to imitate.
This made my oldest version of the CDRWL (that I possess anyway), which was from 1996. Sure enough, the first CD didn't arrive until 1999 (Audio Archives - and I bought it when it came out). Some of those albums still haven't been reissued!
1993 (first listen); 1999; 11//05; 2009; 1/14/24 (review)
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