01	Baby Listen						03:24
	02	Hey Man						05:52
	03	House In The City						04:24
	04	Epic Forest						09:11
	05	Turning The Lights Out						04:38
	06	Her Darkest Hour						03:32
	07	Fears Of The Night						03:17
	08	Turn It All Around						04:43
	09	Title No.1 Again (Birdman)						06:05
	10	Roadside Welcome						04:20
	11	Four Grey Walls						03:54
	12	You're Lost						10:07
	13	Devil's High Concern						02:49
	14	Sympathy						02:34
	15	What You Want To Know						03:31

Rare Bird Epic Forest

At its best, Rare Bird is a satisfactory (if somewhat derivative) and satisfying example of middle-energy British music at its finest. That best is showcased on side one. "Baby Listen," the album's opening cut, is a delightful toe-tapper, spryly done, with a couple of nifty jazzed-up guitar runs laid over a solid backdrop of tight group work.

It is ably followed by two contrasting, slower-paced and semi-acoustic numbers, which gradually flower into full-fledged rockers. The title cut closes the side. Throughout these three cuts, the harmonies are plentiful and crisp, without being cute. The melodies are fairly memorable, and the instrumentation tight and full, while rarely self-consciously drawing attention to itself. The title song, with its grand melodic hook-line near the song's finish, makes it a prime example of English studio rock at its finest.

On side two, the band begins to show its limitations. After a passably entertaining rip-off of the Allman's "Elizabeth Reed" they stack three exceptionally similar-sounding songs ("Her Darkest Hour," "Fears of the Night" and "Turn It All Around") side by side, and all are mid-tempo harmony numbers with forgettable, near drone-like melodies.

Steve Gould and Dave Kaffinetti, the only holdovers from the band's first two albums, have obvious songwriting talent, and the band's ensemble playing is often strong. The result is a nearly good album from a band with great potential that hasn't fully developed yet. (RS 141)

ALAN NIESTER