Seasons - MAGNA CARTA***

Seasons/Goin' My Way (Road Song)/Elizabethan/Give Me No Goodbye/Ring Of Stones/Scarecrow/Airport Song

Seasons was the second and most commercially successful album from the London folk-rock band Magna Carta. The ambitious title track suite is a conceptual work influenced by the changing seasons. (UK:55)

“This is just the kind of music I like; sparse, rich instrumentation with a seriously gorgeous melodic folk/rock mix of major and minor chords.”

“The band’s second effort was an enormous artistic leap from their debut. Clocking in at over twenty minutes, Seasons is a real conceptual piece, with a seamless succession of themes that come and go, a prologue and an epitaph that lyrically concludes and musically reprises the opening theme.”

“Though undeniably quite twee, this is one of my favourite albums. It has some fantastic arrangements for group, strings and woodwind on the side long title track.”

“This is an absolute classic, the songs are beautifully crafted. Mystery and human feeling emanate from this timeless album. Pastoral beauty and a wonderful piece of history, somehow link old England with the new young people culture of the late sixties and early seventies.”

“Seasons is a very pleasant progressive folk album. The songs are quite catchy and easy to enjoy. The lead and backing vocals are excellent, being among the strongest points of the record. There is some narration and some excellent orchestral arrangements on a few tracks, courtesy of the London Symphony Orchestra. The warm acoustic bass and the omnipresent acoustic guitars contribute to enhance the overall value of this record.”

“The music is pleasant and folksy and perhaps dated in places. For those who yearn for the halcyon days of carefree youth and the endless days of hot summer, or the joy of the first fall of snow. So put your feet up, give this a spin and return to those days.”

“The suite has several great moments and is definitely fine as a whole, but it's a bit too verbose. The standouts are the wonderful, mellow Elizabethan with its descendant cello theme and old-time mood, and the nice, tuneful pop-folk of Airport Song, which are worth the entire album.”