Guitarist/vocalist John Verity, bassist/keyboard player Jim Rodford, and drummer Bob Henrit formed the band Phoenix after the breakup of the legendary band Argent in 1976. Mostly a hard rock/boogie band with a splattering of prog, Phoenix released two albums, Phoenix and In Full View, both reissued here on one CD by the folks at Renaissance Records & ItsAboutMusic.com, though a third album was recorded but remains unlreased to this day.
There's a nice mix of styles here, which balances heavier material like the Grand Funk Railroad/Foghat styled "Easy", "Try A Little Rock 'N' Roll", and "Drowning in Tears" with the more proggy, adventurous tracks "From the Ashes" (complete with Mellotron) and "A Woman Like You". Sometimes they mix the two and throw in some funk, like on "Mississippi Neckbone" (which has a sort of Robin Trower feel to it), or some down home heavy blues rock, ala Humble Pie, on the rockin' "I'll Be Back For More". The Mellotron resurfaces again, along with some sax, on the R&B tinged "Just Another Day", and "Don't Fool Me" features some ripping guitar leads from Verity and plenty of stabbing synth layers. Perhaps a perfect example of just how close this band might have come to having a breakthrough single is the catchy pop rock song "Strong Love", which has a memorable hook, nifty guitar riffs, and uptempo synth arrangements.
After Phoenix eventually morphed into the band Charlie and released one album for RCA, Henrit & Rodford left to join The Kinks, and Verity has worked with numerous bands as well as become a sought after producer. Word has it though that the band got together for some reunion festival gigs this year, and are in the process of recording some new material. That should be very interesting indeed.
Track Listing
1. Easy 4:19
2. Drowning In Tears 4:12
3. From The Ashes 3:40
4. Winnebago 3:21
5. Try A Little Rock 'N' Roll 3:26
6. A Woman Like You 6:26
7. Mississippi Neckbone 3:53
8. I'll Be Back For More 3:29
9. Honey 3:52
10. I'll Be Gone 2:44
11. Just Another Day 5:13
12. Fooling Myself 3:15
13. Into Your Blood 5:03
14. Don't Fool Me 4:09
15. I Don't Mind 3:40
16. Strong Love 3:15
17. I'm In Love 2:59
18. Angel 4:06
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