01	People In Black						08:21
	02	Don't Go						04:37
	03	October Witches						08:05
	04	Love Song No. 6						06:37
	05	Dreams						07:33
	06	Time						06:26

Repertoire Records REP 4198-WP
1970

Hammond-organ hard rock with enough twists and turns to justify their presence at GEPR. I really like the songs on this album; they're a little different from a lot of the early 70's rock music. The Repertoire release doesn't give many clues about the band, but the band photo suggests a quartet, although there's seemingly no guitarist (some acoustic guitar on "Love Song No. 6"). The main thing here are the songs, with some nice vocal harmonies and well-balanced organ- and piano solos. The track "Dreams" starts of with quiet organ and some theatrical speaking ("No more dreams!!!") in a manner no conventional pop/rock band would do it. Probably nobody's favourite band, but good enough. -- Daniel



Still Life (1971)

A very satisfying album of well executed Hammond organ-driven proto-progressive. This was a fairly obscure early release on England's famous Vertigo label, and an extremely rare find on LP. Musically, Still Life isn't complex at all, but bears some great melodies and a slight aggressive edge. Some of it has a hard rock feel, minus the electric guitar and with a heavy organ emphasis. The sound quality is great on the CD release, and certainly adds to the warm, early 70's vibe. In fact, aside from the bass guitar and drums, the organ seems to be the only other instrument present, and far and away functions as the melodic focus of the album. Vocals are great when they have a powerful line to work with. Another strength is the nice bass playing, which provides a rich melodic backdrop to the organ.
Like a lot of early progressive music, Still Life is not a particularly complex album, concentrating more on atmosphere and good songwriting. For the most part, the bands approach is pop/rock with heavy organ and nice vocals, with the occasional allowance of instrumental breathing room. For this reason, the good songs on here are awesome, while some fail to excite me even in the slightest. "People in Black" is one of the greatest songs ever written in this style, aggressive and biting, with a totally catchy chorus and great organ riffs. "October Witches" sees the band stretch out a little more, allowing more room for the organ and bass to create some great textures, as the song once again showcases their more aggressive side during the vocal portions. A great track. "Dreams" is another hard rocker, very straight forward, but a lot of fun. "Love Song No. 6" is slower and more melancholy, and succeeds for the most part, very rich and emotional. The only throwaway on here is the limp "Don't Go", basically a typical rock ballad with nothing to distinguish itself. Boring. "Time" is another rocker that closes out the album in grand fashion. Although I don't see this album as a complete classic or anything, most of the songs on here are awesome songs and I certainly wouldn't want to be without it. A must have for fans of the genre.

- Greg Northrup [April 2001]


Still Life - "Still Life" (1970) Good, organ-driven early 70's progressive rock. This was the bands first and only album. Most of the songs on the album are in the 6-8 minute range, and they contain elements that should appeal to most lovers of the 70's. Lots of hammond and good vocal-harmonies. The songwriting is good, and the best tracks here is "People in Black", "October Witches", "Dream" and "Love Song No. 6". The latter is the only acoustic track on the album, and it's really good. It's not so much more to say. If you're into the 70's, then you'll surely enjoy this album.



Still Life - Still Life

Released: 1971/2003
Label: Vertigo / Akarma Records
Cat. No.: AK 237
Total Time: 40:56


Reviewed by: Keith "Muzikman" Hannaleck, March 2003
The band Still Life was born due to the fragmentation of Rainbows (a late 60s band from Coventry, UK). This LP is a good example of when a group of fine musicians are doing their utmost best yet end up sounding very similar to another band, namely Uriah Heep. They were so similar that I felt they lacked in originality, which is a shame because they were talented. I am sure there were many others like them though. On the other hand, I could be dead wrong about all of this as UH released their first album only one year prior to this so it could be pure coincidence that the two bands sound so similar. In any event, I did enjoy this LP regardless of my perceptions.

The whirling organ and driving guitar are all part of the mix, the mark of early progressive rock atmospheres. They fall short with the vocals; both the lead and harmony are off key at times and not quite smooth enough to fit the music's tempo. The musicianship made up for the inconsistencies.

The eye catching cover art is a bonus and the album comes housed in gatefold sleeves with a grainy black and white shot of the band on the inside with credits and track listings.

Rating: 2.5/5

Historical notes from the label: The band Rainbows became Still Life due to the drummer P. Wilkinson leaving the band for Flying Machine. There were three musicians remaining : Amos, Cure, Howells. They changed their name to Still Life and wrote the songs which turned into this album. However, the band did not have a drummer. They contacted Alan Savage to do the session and he had about a week to learn the material prior to recording. The self-titled album was recorded at Sound Recording Studios, near Marble Arch, London.

More about Still Life:

Track Listing: Side One: People In Black (8:17) / Don't Go (4:37) / October Witches (8:06)

Side Two: Love Song No. 6 (I'll Never Love You Girl) (6:37) / Dreams (7:33) / Time (6:26)

Musicians:
Martin Cure - Lead Vocals
Graham Amos - Bass
Terry Howells - Organ
Alan Howells - Drums

Discography

Still Life (1971/2003)