This progressive rock supergroup which contained John Wetton, Bill Bruford, Eddie Jobson and Allan Holdsworth on its debut release is a much overlooked and underrated piece of wonderful and extraordinary measure. Containing 8 tracks and a time length of just over 3/4 of an hour, this lineup uses its strengths to its benefit and the musical composition is rich, complex, yet catchy and melodic. The first 3 tracks are a variation of a theme that centers itself around a wonderful keyboard melody courtesy of Eddie Jobson; "In the Dead of Night", "By the Light of Day" and "Presto Vivace and Reprise" form a mini-suite and show the worth, talent and merits on display by the innovations of drummer Bill Bruford and the sharp and angular guitar attack of Allan Holdsworth with Wetton's climbing and building bass accompaniment led by the charge of Eddie Jobson's various uses of synthesizer keyboards and effects. "Thirty Years" follows the fantastic opening suite with consistent musical dexterity as well as John's strong vocalizings that offer character and a sense of definitive purpose.

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"Alaska" is an instrumental that begins quite sparsely with a quiet keyboard arrangement that builds itself into a showcase of Jobson's wealth within the use of his rich technique and musical interpretations, leading the way to another significant number in "Time to Kill" which has a catchy chorus matched with fulfilling accompaniment by the musicians involved and makes for an exciting entry within the recorded album. "Nevermore" is another pivotal cut and again, showcases the talent of Eddie Jobson, but also allows Allan Holdsworth some room for a duel between he and Jobson for some "call and response" musical passages that adds even more substance to this exciting debut record. Bill Bruford's drumming style is stamped all over this record and his sense of dynamics and tricky time signatures are used to great effect, much like his prior work in King Crimson. Its interesting to note that all 4 musicians had come from previous acts: Jobson had been in Roxy Music, Holdsworth had been in The Soft Machine, while Wetton and Bruford were involved in King Crimson. This aggregation somewhat predates unions like Asia, of which would involve John Wetton, but unlike that supergroup, the progressive musical end was attended to as opposed to the commercial and contemporary angle that overwhelmed the Asia project.

 

This release emphasizes musical dexterity and innovation with a sense of melodic flair within a progressive structure. And because of these factors, it makes U.K.'s debut a stunning achievement during the listening process. Highly recommended for progressive aficionados.

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Rating Grade- A+