Search - Rare Bird :: Sympathy

Re: Rare Bird's Sympathy

Glen Doucet | East Coast, Canada | 05/10/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I wish to comment on the review for the Rare Bird album, Sympathy by your critic.I have not listened to the CD so I cannot comment on the sound quality of the CD, but I do have the original vinyl album on the Charisma label.The compilation album is a good example of the early Rare Bird music. The music is extremely imaginative and the talents of Gould, Field, Kaffinetti and Ashton are outstanding. The combination of drums, bass and two keyboards made for a unique sound that to my knowledge has not been used since. If someone else has heard of this unique combination in music please let me know.Compare the music of Rare Bird to what was being played by the mainstream musicians in the late 1960's and early 1970's and you can see why I say their music was unique, innovative and atmospheric.I was first turned onto Rare Bird when I purchased Epic Forest in 1973 and I have been hooked on them ever since. The Epic Forest album is completely different from the first two albums.I do disagree with the critic's review of Rare Bird and the album (Sympathy) but everyone is entitled to their opinion and also entitled to express it as I think most critic's reviews are based on their personal preferences.Thank You"

Exceptional

BENJAMIN MILER | 12/01/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The critics from Emap are way off base here. This first Rare Bird album is simply exceptional. It is enchanting, inventive and melodic. It ranges from heavy to almost jazzy-blues soft at points. The vocals of Steve Gould are captivating, and the keyboards of Graham Field and David Kaffinetti are virtuoso. Mark Ashton turned in some unique percussion work on this one as well. This group was simply incredible in their musicianship and songwriting abilities, and it is unfortunate this lineup lasted but two albums. If you buy this one, you will want them all. As Your Mind Flies By and Epic Forest (with a new lineup) are fantastic. Epic Forest is an overlooked gem--simply incomparable. You will be hooked by the depth of the music."

Nice compilation album

BENJAMIN MILER | Veneta, Oregon | 03/28/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"But remember: if you already own their first two albums, that is their self-entitled debut and As Your Mind Flies By, you probably don't need this compilation. The Sympathy compilation was actually released in 1976, not 1990 (1990 was the year it got issued on CD), on the Charisma Perspective label. Charisma Perspective was simply the label's compilation division, who had a habit of only covering two albums. And Rare Bird was no exception. They only recorded two albums on Charisma, which this compilation obviously covers. So you get material from the original 1969-70 lineup of vocalist/bassist Steve Gould, drummer Mark Ashton, and keyboardists Graham Field and David Kaffinetti. For their debut, you mostly get their shorter, more "pop-oriented" pieces like "Sympathy", "You Went Away", and "Bird on a Wing". Exception being "Beautiful Scarlet", being more progressive. It would have been nice the compilation included "Iceberg" or "God of War" to show the more progressive moments of their debut. For As Your Mind Flies By, you get "What You Want To Know", "I'm Thinking" and the aggressive "Hammerhead". Plus you get an excerpt of "Flight". All this music showed how effective this band was with two keyboardists and no guitarists. Of course they would move on to Polydor, this time with a lineup change that included guitars, with a few more albums under the belt. But it's with this compilation that demonstrates what the original, guitar-less Rare Bird was all about."