Dave Kerzner’s name should be familiar to serious prog fans. The vocalist and keyboardist has led his own projects (Sound of Contact, In Continuum) and worked with everyone from the late, great Kevin Gilbert to Steve Hackett and Steven Wilson. And Breakdown: A Compilation 1995-2019 demonstrates why he belongs in such elite company.
This 21-song collection -- love the straightforward title, by the way -- brings together studio cuts, alternate versions, live recordings and bonus tracks from his vast catalog of bands, projects and solo works. They feature a who’s who of heavy hitters: drummers Nick D’Virgilio and Marco Minnemann; guitarists Hackett, Francis Dunnery and (on most tracks) Fernando Perdomo, and vocalists Heather Findlay and Jon Davison.
Kerzner writes songs about everything from space epics to cheating lovers, and his vocals contribute to a heavy Pink Floyd/Alan Parsons Project feel. The Genesis and Yes influences are obvious, too.
Among the highlights is a “semi-unplugged” version of “Ocean of Stars,” a melancholy yet clever song (in Kerzner's words) “about a writer whose work was stolen [and] has to break it to the female character he created that he can no longer write more to her story.” An alternate version of “My Old Friend” from Kerzner’s New World album imagines a conversation with Gilbert, and it’s followed by a simmering live version of “Joytown,” originally recorded by Gilbert’s old band Thud and resurrected by Kerzner’s solo band at ProgStock in 2017.
Kerzner co-wrote “All That Is” from the 2019 In Continuum album Acceleration Theory Part Two: Annihilation with Yes’ Jon Anderson, which ultimately was performed by Davis, the man who replaced Anderson in his old band. There’s also a brand new recording of “Only Breathing Out,” which originally was featured on Sound of Contact’s Dimensionaut, a project with Simon Collins.
Clocking in at almost two hours and accompanied by Kerzner’s short notes about each recording, a complete list of musicians involved and albums referenced, and an album cover that incorporates visuals from many of those albums, Breakdown serves as an ideal introduction for newcomers and a nice companion piece for completists and longtime fans.
Track Listing:
Disc One:
1. The Lie
2. Ocean of Stars (Alternate Version)
3. Nothing
4. Static (Live)
5. New World (Live)
6. The Truth Behind (Live)
7. Reckless (Live)
8. My Old Friend (Alternate Version)
9. Joytown (Live)
10. Into the Sun (Alternate Version)
Disc Two:
1. Paranoia (2019 Version)
2. Breakdown
3. Scavengers
4. Not Readmission (Instrumental Version)
5. Crash Landing
6. Every Corner (Instrumental Version)
7. Island (Reprise)
8. All That Is
9. Only Breathing Out (Alternate Version)
10. Omega Point (Live)
11. Not Coming Down (Live)
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