Rare Bird - 1976 [1990] "Sympathy"

Rare Bird were an English progressive rock band, formed in 1969. They had more success in other European countries. They released five studio albums between 1969 and 1974. In the UK, they never charted with an album but charted with one single, the organ-based track "Sympathy", which peaked at number 27. It sold one million copies globally.

This Rare Bird CD contains a wealth of artistically wonderful music! It includes all the songs from their especially creative and engaging first album and the best songs from their second album. I was prompted to reply by the incomprehensible Emap review provided above. Sound samples are unlikely to do the music justice. Listen to all of Beautiful Scarlet and then decide. Other gems await. The first Rare Bird is one of those "rare" albums from the late 60's that haven't lost any of their ability to enchant.

This first Rare Bird album is simply exceptional. It is enchanting, inventive and melodic. It ranges from heavy to almost jazzy-blues soft at points. The vocals of Steve Gould are captivating, and the keyboards of Graham Field and David Kaffinetti are virtuoso. Mark Ashton turned in some unique percussion work on this one as well. This group was simply incredible in their musicianship and songwriting abilities, and it is unfortunate this lineup lasted but two albums. If you buy this one, you will want them all. As Your Mind Flies By and Epic Forest (with a new lineup) are fantastic. Epic Forest is an overlooked gem--simply incomparable. You will be hooked by the depth of the music.

This album contains Rare Bird's finest works on one reasonably priced cd. "As Your Mind Flies By", "Sympathy", "Beautiful Scarlet", "Nature's Fruit" and "What You Want to Know" are their best works. Hopefully this cd will never be out of print for Rare Bird fans !

Tracks Listing:

1. Sympathy (2:47)
2. You Went Away (4:41)
3. Nature's Fruit (2:36)
4. Bird on a Wing (4:19)
5. What You Want to Know (5:59)
6. Beautiful Scarlet (5:43)
7. Hammerhead (3:32)
8. I'm Thinking (5:37)
9. As Your Mind Flies By (5:50)

Total Time: 41:07

Line-up / Musicians:

- Mark Ashton / drums, vocals
- Kevin Lamb / organ, vocals
- Graham Field / organ, keyboards
- Steve Gould / bass, guitar, guitar (bass), saxophone, vocals
- Dave Kaffinetti / synthesizer, keyboards, piano (electric)