The Hound Of The Baskervilles

"The Hound of the Baskervilles" is the second teaming of keyboardists Clive Nolan & Oliver Wakeman. Clive will be well known to fans of modern progressive rock through his work with bands like Pendragon, Arena, & Shadowland. Oliver is the son of legendary Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman, as well as a solo recording artist in his own right. The duo's first collaboration was 1999's "Jabberwocky", a concept album based on the Lewis Caroll poem of the same name - the album featured an impressive line-up of modern & past prog-rock players. This follow-up continues in that tradition. To give those of you who have not heard these albums a point of reference, Nolan & Wakeman's style is most easily comparable to the concept albums of Oliver's father, Rick Wakeman (think "Journey to the Center of the Earth" and "Myths & Legends of King Arthur"), or possibly Jeff Wayne's rock version of "War of the Worlds". Like those early prog-rock classics, Nolan & Wakeman's works are always built around a storyline and mix progressive/classical keyboard themes with powerful vocals & spoken narration. This time the 'concept' is based around Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's most famous Sherlock Holmes novel, "The Hound of the Baskervilles" - and many of the all-stars from "Jabberwocky" return, joined by some fresh new faces. Returning are guitarists Peter Banks (ex-Yes, Flash), and Karl Groom (Shadowland), bassists John Jowitt (Jadis, IQ), and Peter Gee (Pendragon), and drummer Tony Fernandez (Rick Wakeman's English Rock Ensemble.) Newcomers include Arjen Lucassen (Areyon), and Eva Albering (Quidam). Another first-timer to the Nolan/Wakeman camp is acclaimed British actor Robert Powell, best known for the title role in "Jesus of Nazareth". Powell performs the spoken narration, which is written from the point of view of Holmes' sidekick, Dr. Watson. Also, in keeping with the "story" format, six different vocalists portray the chartacters within the story; with Bob Catley (Magnum) as Sir Henry Baskerville, Paul Allison as Stapleton, Tracy Hitchings (Landmarq) as Beryl, Ashley Holt (Rick Wakeman's English Rock Ensemble) as Dr. Mortimer, Michelle Young as Laura Lyons, and Ian Moon Gould as Seldon. (Catley and Hitchings are particularly good in their roles in my opinion!) Standout tracks include "Shadows of Fate" (a dark, slow-boiling rocker with soulful, raspy vocals from Catley), "At Home in the Mire" (an energetic, brisk-tempoed piece sung by Paul Allison, and highlighted by some nimble Hammond organ playing, as well as some tasty arpeggiated guitar rhythms courtesy of Karl Groom), and, perhaps best of all, "The Argument", an almost-classical/operactic piece that sets three interweaving vocal lines (from Catley, Hitchings, and Allison) against a backdrop of piano & orchestral synth sounds. This neo-classical feel is similar in spirit to the band Strangers On A Train (an earlier collaboration between Clive Nolan & Tracy Hitchings) - but with the intensity level kicked up a notch! "Waiting" is another track that makes great use of interweaving vocal lines from the different "characters", albiet in a more rocking setting. Tracks like "Overture", "Three Broken Threads", and "Chasing the Hound" will offer a musical feast for lovers of progressive synth work, with Nolan & Wakeman trading blistering solos and neo-classical melodies back & forth. Highly recommended.

Being an English literature graduate and a big fan of progressive rock, I didn't hesisate even a second to check this wonderful album out. I haven't heard their debut album yet, but may give it a listen in the near future, for I quite enjoy this album.

The Hound of the Baskervilles is well-known English novelist Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's novel first published in 1901. I will not get into the details, but the this is a mystery novel that contains themes of good and evil; natural and supernatural; truth and fantasy; classism, hierarchy, and entitlement. The tone of the novel is earnest, uncertain and ominous. The story takes on the Gothic tradition, a brand of storytelling that highlights the bizarre and unexplained. Clive Nolan and Oliver Wakeman (amazing Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman's son) have done an outstanding job turning this work into a great concept album. Clive Nolan is perhaps England's biggest name in the neo-prog scene having played in great bands such as Pendragon and Arena. On this CD, Nolan joins forces with another great keyboard player, mostly known for his work with the 3 Ages Project, Oliver Wakeman. Lots of overly talented artists surround Nolan and Wakeman including Arjen Lucassen (Ayreon), Karl Groom (Threshold), and Peter Gee (Pendragon) to name a few. The vocalists are Bob Catley (Magnum) who is the voice of Sir Henry Baskerville, Tracy Hitchings (Landmarq) as Miss Beryl Stapleton, Ashley Holt as Doctor James Mortimer and many others that are too many to name. My main interest in this project comes from Arjen Lucassen and Karl Groom, two amazing songwriters and milestones in prog rock/metal. I also think Clive Nolan is a very impressive composer and tasteful keyboard player. His work on the Ayreon albums is stunning! As for Oliver Wakeman, this is the first and only album I've heard from him. But like his father, he has great amounts of talent and as opposed to putting out a shred type of album full of keyboard solos, the two musicians have succesfully crafted beautiful musicianship with rich melodies and a sublime atmosphere. The lyrics are poignant and Robert Powell who is the narrator, Dr. John Watson, was a great choice for this spot. I really like the vocal melodies somehow bringing to mind the first two Ayreon albums which are still among my all-time favourite prog releases. The concept on the other hand is very reminiscent of another beautiful masterpiece: Trans-Siberian Orchestra - Beethoven's Last Night. So if you like this album and have never heard these bands, you should give them a listen.

Threshold's guitarist and main songwriter Karl Groom has produced and engineered this album and it shows. Arjen Lucassen plays some fiery yet melodic guitar solos. It really is difficult to describe the music. All I can say is you could expect very well composed prog rock with a symphonic feel, various vocal types, great musicianship and of course a very good storyline to complement everything. Recommended.

A great album (musically) that _also_ does justice to the Sherlock Holmes story on which it is based. Easily recommended.