Lady Lake - GNIDROLOG***

I Could Never Be A Soldier/Ship/A Dog With No Collar/Lady Lake/Same Dreams/Social Embarrassment

Lady Lake was the second album from the British progressive group with the unpronounceable name Gnidrolog. They employed a vast array of musical instruments.

“An under appreciated classic 70s prog album. Not the normal instrumentation for a prog band as, along with guitars and percussion we have recorder, tenor horn, cello, soprano, tenor and baritone sax, oboe and flute.”

“There is some nice prog rock going on here but it is overwhelmed by the vocalist and the horns. Although there is some cool guitar it is not enough to move this beyond average.”

“Lady Lake by Gnidrolog is an excellent swan song, which sees them softening and broadening the idiosyncratic style of their debut In Spite Of Harry's Toenail with some influences from the wider prog and art rock world. A combination of Jethro Tull like flute work and hard rock guitar heroics is still present.”

“A strong, albeit more inconsistent, follow-up to their debut. Most of the tracks feature their new sax player, though the best material is guitar driven. There is some acoustic folk too. Yes, the singer has an annoying voice, but after a little getting used to, it's no more than a mild distraction.”

“Lady Lake seems like it produces the sound that Gnidrolog always wanted; take their eclectic approach to songwriting, add more saxes and get better production. Unfortunately, I feel the songwriting is just a bit too safe compared to Harry's Toenail; the compositions don't sound as adventurous.”

“Lady Lake is a dynamic and dramatic album which cannot be accused of being pompous and overblown as it is relatively minimalist, and many parts are entirely acoustic. Besides guitars, bass and drums they use a vast array of wind instruments and cello, but oddly enough no keyboards apart from acoustic piano on one track.”

“The jazzy jams are quite exceptional because they sound distinct and quite haunting in spots. It's rare when jazz gives me that kind of feeling. Lady Lake includes soft, moving ballads, beautifully rolling acoustic guitar, piano, flute, mellotron and cello.”