Thoroughbred by Rockinghorse. EMI.

— Reviewed by Brian King.

They'd be a good band to have at a wedding, Rockinghorse. They'd perform all of the tracks on this album and everyone would be [unclear: orsing] about on the talcum-powder.

[unclear: "Thoroughbred"] is a light-weight, middle-of-[unclear: the]-road [unclear: popelbum]. More particularly it's [unclear: country] pop; the pedal-steel guitar is the [unclear: main] instrument — only it isn't always used as [unclear: in] country music to stretch and layback the [unclear: melody]: rather, like Hawaiian pedal-steel, [unclear: t] colours the sound and lifts it slightly off-[unclear: centre]. So there's no beat, and no rock.

[unclear: and] similarly with "Sunshine Music Days" [unclear: crass]) and "It's Enough" (gluey). The ladies [unclear: n] the songs are invariably 'sweet'; there's a [unclear: otal] absence of pain, sorrow, blues. On Side [unclear: Two] there's a nice touch, an instrumental [unclear: alled] "Wind Chimes" which takes the [unclear: rain] from Carl Evison's country putz.

And I tell you what: there are 13 songs, [unclear: ll] original compositions. And this is probably [unclear: he] best middle-of-the-road album the country [unclear: as] produced.

[unclear: The] Myths and Legends of King Arthur [unclear: and] the Knights Of the Round Table — [unclear: ick] Wakeman(A&M)

— Reviewed by David Mclennan.

And if that ain't the longest album [unclear: tle] ever I'll eat my broadsword! Yeah [unclear: ell], It's better than "Journey", but still not [unclear: good] as "Henry VIII". As a work, it is [unclear: ore] coherent than "Journey", which was a [unclear: eak] composition, saved only by David [unclear: lemmings'] narration, and the high standard [unclear: f] musicianship.

C'mon Rick, just who the hell are you [unclear: ying] to kid with this sugary bullshit?

Actually, this brings me to a very valid [unclear: iticism] of both this album and "Journey"; [unclear: and] that is that Wakeman is not, and probably [unclear: ever] will be, a lyricist and songwriter. The [unclear: ong] portions of these last two albums simply [unclear: o] not come up to scratch. The lyrics read [unclear: ke] they have been written by a schoolboy, [unclear: nd] the tunes are quite unremarkable. Rick's [unclear: lents] are as a composer and arranger; in this [unclear: eld] he is one of the best. That is why "Henry [unclear: II]" remains hit most successful album to [unclear: ate].

Next up on side one is "Sir Lancelot [unclear: nd] the Black Knight", which is quite good, [unclear: ot] nothing remarkable. Those vocalists of [unclear: s], especially the loud mouthed one, are bloody [unclear: orrible] and should never have been let near a [unclear: ike]. If Rick insists on vocalists at least he [unclear: ould] get ones who can sing!

Side two, and "Merlin the Magician", easily the best track on the album. This track shows. Rick at his best, with its many changes in mood, from honky tonk to hard rock. Some really terrific synthesiser, and a warning: don't have your bass turned up on this one! I well remember this piece being one of the highlights of Rick's concert in Auckland. Nice one.

"Sir Galahad" is instantly forgettable, which leaves us with "The Last Battle", which is quite good, and rounds the album off nicely. Despite my complaints above, I like this record; as a whole it hangs together quite well, and like Rick's other albums, makes pleasant listening. Rick has a knack of appealing to all classes of music lover from the "head-music" freak with his Floyd and Genesis, right across the board to the easy listening pop fan who normally wouldn't have anything heavier than Neil Diamond or Elton John. A talented lad indeed, is our Rick. Let's hope he keeps it up.

Pieces of the Sky: Emmylou Harris Reprise MS 2213.

Reviewed by Pat O'Dea.

Emmylou Harris, a native of Birmingham Alabama, and the contributor of those otherwordly harmonies to ex-Byrd Gram Parsons' two solo efforts, makes music that doesn't so much exemplify country styles as approach them from a totally different direction. That she does it with such natural grace and fluency is a tribute to her, her material and her supporting musicians. In addition to singing, she plays acoustic guitar and also co-wrote one of the two commercial possibilities on Pieces of the Sky, Boulder to Birmingham. Her vocal quality is reminiscent of Linda Ronstadt, although more lightly textured and less affected. She takes the rock bottom bass lines that somprise the skeletal foundations of her songs from an extensive country heritage.

No one of her ten songs is like any other. Many are apparently intended to convey an autobiographical message, dealing directly with her ups and downs in love, almost always with a perceptive intelligence and good humour. And it is her special gift and good fortune that the can turn everything she touches into a legitimate area of personal creation.

The structure of the songs adhere to contemporary form. Most are contained within four minutes and have the flow and "rightness" that is the hallmark of an original and enduring talent. Add to this her compelling selection of lyrics, whose underlying theme is a vividly imagined spiritual restlessness, and you have the female vocal debut of the year.

Due credit for the success of this album must go to producer, Brian Ahern. For Emmylou he has provided a satisfying, understated setting, one that allows her and her material to shine. Most of the cuts begin simply with Emmylou backed by her own acoustic guitar and piano. Various elements — electric and steel guitars, backed up vocals and string arrangements — gradually come together. Sidemen for the album include James Burton (electric guitar). Glen Hardin and Bill Payne (pianos), Bemie Leadon (banjo) and Richard Greene (fiddle). Among the back up vocalists are Linda Ronstadt and Herb Pederson.

Two cuts, "Sleepless Nights" and "Coat of Many Colours", sum up everything that Emmylou is about. The former it a tender lullaby-reminiscence of an old love. A soft string arrangement punctuated by hard piano chords builds towards a powerful, cathartic climax. "Coat of Many Colours" proclaims that with the passage of time, love changes in unforseeable ways and that the question of whether two people really "know" each other is ever recurrent in an intimate relationship. The song is Emmylou's ultimate expression of self-acceptance and positive belief. By the time it ends her music has got me, and I'm not about to let it go.