Warm Dust - Peace For Our Time 1971

Second album from this English brass rock band, that was a bit the answer to Chicago Transit authority mixed with some Caravan and some Dutch/Holland Solution. Actually it is interesting to note that England had The Greatest Show On Earth, If and Warm Dust (and to a lesser extent Colosseum) to answer to American's giants of brass rock (which automatically induced a jazz feel without being the typical jazz-rock): Blood Sweat & Tears, Chicago, Electric Flag and The Flock. None of course would match the New World's candidates for commercial success, but artistically the balance tips a whole lot more evenly. Lead by singer Les "Dansfield" Walker, the sextet had a double sax attack, even if both handled other duties (namely second keyboard and guitar), but as far as the proghead is concerned only first KB man Paul Carrack would face further success (first in new wave group squeeze, than later as a collab in later Steve Hackett albums), but their three albums are definitely worth a listen. Progarchives.

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Warm Dust - And It Came To Pass 1970

Warm Dust was one of those obscure progressive rock bands that slipped through the cracks, but released three albums. This was an early band featuring Paul Carrack before he earned his fame with Ace ("How Long"), Sqeeze ("Tempted"), and of course Mike & the Mechanics, not to mention the solo albums he did in the '80s. Now I understand the name Paul Carrack might make many of you run like hell, but what he's done in Warm Dust is nothing like those groups I mentioned.

In 1970, they released their debut album And It Came to Pass, and like Chicago when they were still Chicago Transit Authority or the Mothers of Invention's Freak Out, is one of the rare examples of a double album debut. Aside from Paul Carrack, the group also featured vocalist/guitarist Dransfield "Les" Walker, John Surgey on wind instruments (flute, sax, oboe, clarinet), Alan Salomen on additional wind instruments, Terry "Tex" Comer on bass and guitars, and Dave Pepper on drums and percussion. Frequently this band was described as Chicago meets Caravan, but they really weren't a brass rock band like Chicago, Blood, Sweat & Tears, and such British counterparts as The Greatest Show on Earth or IF, but musically they could also bring to mind such groups. For one thing, Warm Dust wasn't really a horn rock band, but sax and flute, on top of Paul Carrack's Hammond organ was what made up this band's sound. If anything, they remind me a bit of Web/Samurai (Dave Lawson's bands prior to Greenslade that had a sound dominated by wind instruments).

Cuts like "Turbulance", "Achromasia" and "Circus" are full of pleasant use of sax, flute, and organ, often in a jazzy and bluesy manner, with some psychedelic overtones. "Keep on Truckin'" really is out of place on this album, a more boogie-oriented number, but the album goes back to familiar territory with the epic title track, which is in the vein of the first three cuts. It's my opinion the second disc (the last five cuts) is even better. "Blues For Pete" is the perfect example of the band exploring the blues in a rather interesting way, while "Washing My Eyes" for some reason reminds me a bit of what the German group Birth Control did on "This Song is Just For You" off their 1975 album Plastic People, especially the organ work, although it's a wonderful, extended piece. They also do a cover of the much covered Richie Havens song "Indian Rope Man" (that Julie Driscoll with Brian Auger & The Trinity and the German group Frumpy had also done) and did it in style with funky organ work and great use of wind instruments.

Given what Paul Carrack had later involved himself musically, he finds Warm Dust an embarrassment from his youth (he was just 18 when they recorded And It Came to Pass), and strongly encourages everyone to avoid Warm Dust like a plague. I'm sorry I can't agree with him on this opinion, this is perfectly good progressive rock, it's his only real foray into this kind of music (Mike & the Mechanics hardly counts despite the Genesis connection, they were simply a pop group, much like Genesis was at that point). The great thing about listening to a Warm Dust album is you get completely no reminders of "How Long", "All I Need is a Miracle" or "The Living Years" whatsoever, which is a good thing. The reason Warm Dust didn't get much notice was it was released on a small label called Trend, meaning they probably didn't have the means to promote the band properly (even those little known British horn bands like IF and The Greatest Show on Earth had the benefit of being on major labels like Island and Harvest). Even if Paul Carrack gets you running, but you enjoy groups like Web/Samurai, IF, The Greatest Show On Earth, and the likes, you really can't go wrong here!

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Warm Dust - Peace For Our Time 1971

Second album from this English brass rock band, that was a bit the answer to Chicago Transit authority mixed with some Caravan and some Dutch/Holland Solution. Actually it is interesting to note that England had The Greatest Show On Earth, If and Warm Dust (and to a lesser extent Colosseum) to answer to American’s giants of brass rock (which automatically induced a jazz feel without being the typical jazz-rock): Blood Sweat & Tears, Chicago, Electric Flag and The Flock.

None of course would match the New World’s candidates for commercial success, but artistically the balance tips a whole lot more evenly. Lead by singer Les “Dansfield” Walker, the sextet had a double sax attack, even if both handled other duties (namely second keyboard and guitar), but as far as the proghead is concerned only first KB man Paul Carrack would face further success (first in new wave group squeeze, than later as a collab in later Steve Hackett albums), but their three albums are definitely worth a listen

This second album is a conceptual story based on the successive recent wars, punctuated by extracts of a Chamberlain speech spoken in 1938, then extrapolated to speak of further conflicts. Graced with an explicit war-like gatefold artwork (and some unsettling inner-fold war horrors-related pictures as well), the project was not only ambitious, it was idealist (a product of its time) and by today’s standards might seem a little too pretentious for its own good.

If I spoke above of brass rock, it is mostly in the regard that there are indeed many “brass” instruments – even if saxes and flutes are woodwind instruments because of the reed, but I never heard of Reed Rock (Reed Lover however..;-) – it is partly because of the songwriting (allowing for much space for wind instrument arrangements) that provides the typical sound that early Chicago or If expanded so well upon.Starting on the superb and dramatic Blood Of Our Fathers, without wild and spine- chilling throat-splitting winds and a superb vocal line, PFOT is heading towards a small- undiscovered prog gem status, almost right away.

The following Wind Of Change is less enthralling, but although of more ordinary standards, by all means not any less progressive in its songwriting. The third track, Justify, is a lengthy organ-driven blues- rock interrupted by a slow starting gloomy mid-section (which incorporates the then- obligatory drum solo), then returning to the previous blues-rock.

The flipside is composed of five shorter tracks, which build up on their usual formula. Rejection is delicate slow builder where Carrack’s Rhodes and Hammond are taking the lion’s share of the work with Surguy’s flute (I’m guessing it’s him, here) floating lightly above, but ensues a bunch of well written chord changes and brilliant playing are making this track one of the highlights of the album. The following tracks are all plenty of excellent prog twists and tricks that should please almost every progheads including the most demanding ones, such as yours truly.

However the last two tracks Wrote A Letter and Peace Of Mind fail to enthral me as much as the early part of the album did. Both are very standard conservative almost soul-ish songs where way too few things are happening to raise our enthusiasm or even maintain it at a good level.While hardly revolutionary or even groundbreaking Warm dust’s second album is a rather unearthed rough gem, that has its flaws (mostly the concept narrations), but its value is no less appreciable.

I will round up this album’s rating to the upper unit, thus giving it an essential label that must be taken carefully, as one must be sure that he will enjoy the early UK proto-prog (in the non-PA sense of the word) peppered with much horns and take it in regards with the rest of the group’s discography.

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