Breathe Awhile – ARCADIUM***

I’m On My Way/Poor Lady/Walk On The Bad Side/Woman Of A Thousand Years/Change Me/It Takes A Woman/ Birth Life & Death

Breathe Awhile was the sole album released by the little known British psychedelic group Arcadium. They were linked to the legendary London hippie music club Middle Earth, which was closed after several police raids.

“The music is more derivative of Uriah Heap than Yes. While the playing is pretty tight and often hard/psychedelic rocking, the vocals are some of the weakest and most annoying you will ever hear. There are two long songs, I'm On My Way and Birth Life & Death, but these are more like long jams than progressive suites. Of these two, the former is by far the superior.”

“Remember, this was 1969, prog rock was going through its growing pains, so many bands still stuck to their psychedelic roots, and of course, Arcadium were no exception. The album opens up with the amazing I'm On My Way which starts off slowly, then they start getting into some great jams.”

“Overall Arcadium isn't a bad album. It just isn't outstanding and doesn't represent anything you haven't already heard better played from some other band. Perhaps if they had had more time on their side, and had invested in a better lead vocalist, the story might have turned out differently.”

“These songs really stick with you. There’s an extremely dark and haunting feel to most of them. The opening track I’m On My Way features weird chromatic lines that snarl around you like vines. The guitar tones are indeed of their times, but the high quality of the music helps transcend; superb use of Hammond organ is also a plus.”

“An absorbing, intoxicating proto-prog album with a decidedly downtrodden feeling and flourishes of biting acid guitar, compellingly dark with a tangential songwriting approach that is challenging, but always enriching. They stumble their way through certain passages but always come out the better for it, lush and dynamic with great subtlety and drama.”

“There aren't many bands that managed to melt down heavy rock based psychedelic music with straight forward progressive rock, but Arcadium have done so and in fair success, a solid album.”