Fantastic!
Andreas Johansen | Bergen, - Norway | 05/14/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This debut of the obscure prog outfit Morgan is perhaps the best prog I've ever heard, and believe me, I know more about prog than any of you out there. The music is very dominated by synths (in fact, no electric guitars can be heard on this album), especially the vsc-3, and Morgan Fisher sure knows how to use that thing. And what a precious little gem Roger Taylor and Brian May lost when Tim Staffell quit Smile. No wonder why they picked Freddie to replace him. Their voices are very similar. If you are looking for dreamy melodic progrock in the vein of Yes, (early) King Crimson, Genesis etc, this is NOT what you're after. This is much more complex and inaccessible than any of those bands. Wasn't I such an expert on progrock, I'd probably say that it reminds me of ELP. But it doesn't! Emerson never played this complex music. Fisher is far more talented, and it goes without saying that Tim Staffell is a better singer than Greg Lake since his voice is downright mediocre. Now you run along and buy this album and expose your little ears to experimental rock extraordinaire!!"
Excellent keyboard driven prog rock
BENJAMIN MILER | Veneta, Oregon | 10/31/2001
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Morgan was a very short lived prog rock band featuring keyboardist Morgan Fisher, vocalist Tim Staffell, bassist Bob Sapsed, and drummer Mo Bacon. Morgan Fisher was a member of Love Affair and later Mott the Hoople. I believe Mo Bacon was also a Love Affair member. Tim Staffell was the vocalist from Smile (his replacement from that band was none other than Freddie Mercury, and that band became Queen). With musical backgrounds like that, it might not seem the most encouraging for the diehard prog fan like me (I'm not a Queen fan), but Nova Solis, recorded and released in 1972, originally on RCA has all the things that make prog so great. Morgan Fisher gives us great use of Hammond organ, Moog and VCS-3 synths, Wurlizer electric piano, and even a little Mellotron, it's obvious he's the focus of this album. There are a couple of ballads on this album, like "Alone" that seem almost out of place on the album, but they did grow on me. The rest of the album consists of great prog like "Samarkhand the Golden", "War Games" and the side length title track. The title track starts off with Morgan's version of Holst's The Planets before moving through several different movements, including experimental passages with odd, sometimes cheesy synth effects, a killer jam, and some acoustic ballads, like "Alone" seem just out of place on the album. I hear some influences of Gentle Giant, particularly the high pitched vocals on "Samarkhand the Golden" that makes me think of Kerry Minnear, as well as some Yes and ELP influences. Morgan Fisher's keyboard style is much in the Emerson and Wakeman style. In my opinion, Morgan's followup, Brown Out (later entitled The Sleeper Wakes) recorded in 1973 but not released until 1976 was the better album, but Nova Solis is still great, so your best bet is to get Nova Solis and The Sleeper Wakes in one go."
Track Listings (3) - Disc #1
