Bozzio Levin Stevens 
Black Light Syndrome 
Magna Carta (MA-9019-2)
USA 1997 

Terry Bozzio, drums; Tony Levin, basses, Stick; Steve Stevens, guitars 

Tracklist: 
1. The Sun Road — 14:37
2. Dark Corners — 8:31
3. Duende — 7:25
4. Black Light Syndrome — 8:45
5. Falling In Circles — 9:07
6. Book of Hours — 9:38
7. Chaos/Control — 8:49

total time 47:56 


Links: 
see all bozzio levin stevens reviews at ground & sky
official site at papabear records
review at progressiveworld
review at satan stole my teddybear
bozzio levin stevens at the gepr
buy this cd from amazon.com 



Another instrumental album from a Magna Carta supergroup. I bought this CD expecting great things, both because of the band members' ties to Zappa and King Crimson, and because most of the reviews that I had read gave the album nothing but the highest praise. So maybe I was expecting too much, but after many listens, I don't see what all the fuss is about.
It's definitely not a bad album, but it doesn't come anywhere close to blowing me away, as it seems to do to many prog fans. In Brandon's review, he noted that some might find the album to be "unfocused" - I definitely fall in that camp. There are long stretches where not much seems to happen.

Still, everyone plays tastefully and competently for the most part, with just a few occasional displays of "flashiness". In particular, the flamenco track "Duende" is one of my favorites - Bozzio's drumming on that song is almost melodic. From what I've read, Stevens was mostly known as a hard rock/metal guitarist before doing this album. He proves here that he can handle a variety of other styles, but unfortunately he sometimes slips back into that predictable heavy metal mode.

All in all, it makes for pleasant background music, but I'd recommend that potential buyers try to borrow a copy from someone and give it a listen first. Then again, I seem to be pretty much alone in my preference of the first Liquid Tension Experiment disc over this one, so what do I know.

review by Bob Eichler 



Probably my favorite Magna Carta supergroup-type release. This album has a very spontaneous feel to it, not unlike the first album from Liquid Tension Experiment, but the playing here is looser, better paced, and more diverse. The performaces all around are great, and Steve Stevens surprised everyone with his versatile and impressive skills on guitar. He gets a little indulgent here and there, but in an album such as this, that's pretty easy to forgive.
The album starts off great, dips a bit in the middle, and ends with a real bang. "The Sun Road" has the feel of a long spontaneous jam with a couple overdubs here and there, and the result is fantastic - one of my favorites from either of this group's two releases. I particularly like Bozzio's little cymbal accents and runs, which are present throughout the album and lend a nice spacy feel to certain parts of this particular piece. Also notable is the next song, "Dark Corners", mostly because it sounds like it could have been performed by King Crimson in 1973, opening with a distorted staccato guitar line punctuated at seemingly odd intervals by the hugest bass sound I've ever heard from Tony Levin. "Larks' Tongues Part II" comes to mind immediately, and that's perhaps not too bad a comparison.

The other highlight is the last track, "Chaos/Control", which opens and closes with composed hard-rock material, but has a wonderful jazzy-feeling jam in middle. Assuming this middle section is improvised, the musicians show great communication towards the end as they merge very effectively back to the composed theme that bookends the jam. The theme itself is powerful stuff; Levin is especially dynamic, playing great percussive lines. Wonderful stuff. Unfortunately the rest of the songs don't quite live up to the standards set by these pieces; they are all good in their own right but somehow lack the same spark of inspiration. Two acoustic flamenco-ish songs in particular are worthy of note, though I feel that they're a bit too long, and the band does these better on their second album, Situation Dangerous.

There are those that would criticize this as unfocused and self-indulgent, but I find it quite rewarding. A very pleasant surprise out of a label I don't expect too many surprises from.

review by Brandon Wu 8-25-00


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