GALLIARD

GALLIARD
NEW DAWN (1970)
320 KBPS

Galliard’s second alum came out the following year of their debut’s release with a major line-up change, even if five of six original members remained: while sax player John Smith departed, he was replaced by a four-man wind section, not including Caswell’s trumpet. Also joining is keyboardist John Morton. While these are included as band members in a few reference books, some of the musicians play so few things, that most likely they were guest musicians (such as the well-known Harry Beckett playing on two tracks only). Again released on the Deram label, the album sports an all black cover and was recorded over the first seven months of 70 . While the album’s name would suggest a new start, the album remains fairly close to their debut effort (at least in half the tracks), although there are a few stranger twists, like Indian sitars, flutes and more. Again, the majority of the 8 tracks are penned by singer/guitarist Brown, but two off them are shared with newcomer keyboardist Morton, Caswell writing the remainder. Another slight difference is that bassist Abbott gets many vocal duties as well.
After the opening title track, which sounds much like what Galliard did on their debut album with an enhanced brass section, a sitar opens the 9-mins Ask For Nothing before an enchanting flute gets the track rolling in a very trippy direction. This superb track keeps the sitar (played by guitarist Pannell) going throughout the whole track, even while it has veered into a rock structure, but before long it morphed into an electric raga, which gives an exhilarating sound with the acoustic sitar and the brass replies close to orgasmic levels, and the track slowly dying in an organized chaos. Grandiose!! The 6- mins Winter-Spring-Summer starts as a lovely flute-laden folky tune, but soon diverts in a fantastic jazzy tune where Harry Beckett’s flugelhorn is simply divine, with Geoff Brown’s vocals sounding like Cressida’s Angus Cullen.
On the flipside, Open Up Your Mind returns to the quirky brass rock that they had developed in their debut album. The folky And Smile Again has Morton on accordion and somehow a Bert Jansch atmosphere escapes from the track, mostly due to Brown’s vocals, but the typical Jansch general song delivery also helps. Next up is Something Going On, much reminiscent of early Chicago (the start of 25 Or 6 To 4), often changing tempo and offers some real songwriting for brass, and in the second part, and after a slower middle section with a trombone, the track slips into a joyful faster section, where Brown sounds again like Cressida’s Cullen. Yet another highlight in this album that seem to collect them. The Caswell-penned Premonition is the best typical brass-rock track of the album, with Caswell’s trumpet and Jenkins’ sax pulling delightful solos. The closing 6-mins+ In Your Mind’s Eyes starts on spacey modulator, guitar feedbacks and organ guts wailings, then the brass section jumping out of the box on a wild drum rising from the dead, the track constantly evolving through singing, guitar solo answered by merciless brass replies, this tracks rocks immensely and intensely., before dying much like it was born, amid spacey throes.
While obviously a more eclectic affair New Dawn is the worthy successor of Strange Pleasure, which this sophomore effort gives much of as well and even more. M%uch more adventurous than its predecessor, New dawn has a schizophrenic quality as half the tracks are pure brass-rock, but the other half is completely eclectic, and thankfully so. This second album is much worth the proghead’s investigation and investment.

1. New Dawn Breaking
2. Ask for Nothing
3. Winter-Spring-Summer
4. Open Up Your Mind
5. And Smile Again
6. Something Going On
7. Premonition
8. In Your Minds Eyes