SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: VARIOUS ARTISTS – PATTERNS ON THE WINDOW: THE BRITISH PROGRESSIVE POP SOUNDS OF 1974

VARIOUS ARTISTS
PATTERNS ON THE WINDOW: THE BRITISH PROGRESSIVE POP SOUNDS OF 1974
CHERRY RED RECORDS

Grapefruit Records/Cherry Red Records have been releasing CD box sets over the past couple of years in which they do a deep dive into the pop/rock sounds of the 1970s. With Patterns On The Window: The British Progressive Pop Sounds of 1974 they focus on the year that was the beginning of the bridge between ‘glam rock’ and ‘punk/new wave’. Throw in some country/folk and pure pop music and one has a very interesting year in the life of music fans in the UK in 1974. This three-CD set goes a long way in exploring the hit singles and album cuts that had an impact on the UK music scene that year. Some were one hit wonders, while others contributed to their impressive music catalogues.

Some of the music collected in this set are also cult bands, such as Fruupp (“Prince Of Heaven”) who never lived up to their commercial potential but impressed critics, and this one song clearly demonstrates why they were so admired. A piano-based, melodic slice of prog/pop with interesting guitar and even more interesting lyrics (“I must be on my way to where magic waters paint the sky”). Other cult bands include Starry Eyed and Laughing’s “Everybody” is another cult classic and a great example of just how much The Beatles continued to influence bands well in to the 1970s.

Speaking of The Beatles, George Harrison produced Splinter’s first album for his Dark Horse Records label. Their debut single from that album, “Costafine Town” was a top twenty hit in the UK. A brilliant folk-rock song, full of exquisite harmonies and an incredible backing band, including their producer, Harrison. Elsewhere, Dave Cousins, of Strawbs, can be heard with a fantastic demo of “Lemon Pie”, later recorded by Strawbs on their album Ghosts. With Cousins, the song is more folk than rock version on the album. Equally interesting is UFO’s single version of “Doctor, Doctor”, which still maintains the hard driving rock for which they were so well known.

Roxy Music and Byan Ferry are present and accounted for with two interesting choices. Ferry is here with his hit single “The In Crowd”, while Roxy Music is represented by the album track “A Really Good Time”. Other UK hits found in this CD set include  Status Quo’s “Break The Rules”, Rod Stewart’s “Farewell”, and Ace’s classic “How Long”.  Because this is UK-based, the hits were not always hits in North America, so some of the songs may not be overly familiar.

 Patterns On The Window: The British Progressive Pop Sounds of 1974 also includes artists that have stood the test of time and helped define sounds and genres. The songs chosen are deeper cuts, such as Sparks’s “Hasta Manana Monsieur”, John Cale’s “The Man Who Couldn’t Afford To Orgy”, and a very early Jona Lewie song “Papa Don’t Go”, and all are great to rediscover.

There are a lot of artists collected in this incredible three-CD set. Not every song is to everyone’s taste, and sometimes some of the music is a bit rough going, however, it does give a pretty accurate overview of rock music in the UK in 1974.  Patterns On The Window: The British Progressive Pop Sounds of 1974 is another brilliant compilation from the fine folks at Grapefruit and Cherry Red Records. The variety and diverse musical choices make this collection an absolute treat to listen to. The CD booklet is well written and informative. Overall, it is a stunning collection.

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