THE TANGENT - A PLACE IN THE QUEUE

THE TANGENT - A PLACE IN THE QUEUE

MAIN CD:
1) In Earnest - (Tillison) . . . . . 20.03
2) Lost In London - (Tillison/Manning) . . . . . 8.08
3) DIY Surgery - (Travis/Middleton) . . . . 2.16
4) GPS Culture - (Tillison) . . . . . . 10.07
5) Follow Your Leaders - (Tillison) . . . 9.21
6) The Sun In My Eyes - (Tillison) . . . 3.44
7) A Place In The Queue - (Tillison/Travis) . . 25.19

Lineup: Andy Tillson: Keyboards & lead vocals - Sam Baine: Piano, keyboards & vocals - Jonas Reingold: Bass - Theo Travis: Sax, flutes, clarinet & vocals - Guy Manning: Acoustic guitars, mandolin & vocals - Jaime Salazar: Drums - Krister Jonsson: Electric guitars, except on (4) Special guest Dan Watts (of Po90): Electric guitars

BONUS CD: SPECIAL EDITION ONLY
Part One - Other songs recorded at the same time as the main CD
1) Promises Were Made - (Baine/Tillison) . . . 7.26
2) The First Day At School DEMO* - (Tillison) . . 5.30
3) Forsaken Cathedrals - (Tillison) . . . 4.54
Part Two - Alternative Version
4) The Sun In My Eyes - Ext. Mix - (Tillison) . . . 9.12
Part Three - Instrumental Ambience
5) Grooving On Mars (LIVE 2005) - (Travis) . . .6.16
6) Kartoffelsalat Im Unterseeboot . . . 13.37

Format: Single CD • InsideOut # SPV48752 -
Double CD InsideOut # SPV48750
release date: February 7, 2006
The Tangent's official website at http://www.thetangent.org/

After two incredible CDs called The Music That Died Alone and The World That We Drive Through, and a year's worth of hard work preparing their latest album, It is obvious that many people will have great expectations about A Place In The Queue... all I can say is that people will not be disappointed, as it was well worth the wait! This new album heavily concentrates on the talent and musicianship of its members, and for those who love the sound of keyboards, Andy Tillson's work on this CD is simply exceptional, with some of the best melodies and harmonies that you've heard on any Tangent album. Roine Stolt's absence on this CD did not affect in any way the sound of the band, as a matter of fact, it actually released many ideas and sounds that might have been put on the backburner and gave a whole new dynamic to the group, in the words of Andy: "We have more personal freedom, and we take advantage of this freedom". On this new release, you'll find a lot of variety, tracks with Canterbury influences, neo-symphonic, jazz fusion, even some RIO and a disco number! A Place In The Queue is the "Cirque Du Soleil" of progressive music!

The album begins with the quiet piano intro of In Earnest, a 20-minute epic that features the instantly recognizable "Tangent" sound the most, a brilliant, captivating, exuberant composition with stunning keyboard work from Andy, impassioned Hammond organ work à la Keith Emerson and great, touching lyrics. Krister shows some mighty impressive chops on the guitar, not even halfway through this track, I had gone through the full range of emotions! Lost In London takes after the first album's "Canterbury Sequence", inspired by Hatfield And The North and National Health, a sweet little number with humorous lyrics and cool canterbury-ish flute work by Mr. Travis. DIY Surgery features a bizzare Zappa-esque intro, breaking into some brilliant jazz fusion sax, with definite RIO overtones. In three words; quick, quirky and surprising! The cheerful keyboard intro of GPS Culture prepares you for one the most enthusiastic tracks of the album, with vocals by the lovely Sam Baine, a very straightforward prog rock track with great interaction between Andy and Krister. Follow Your Leader is an intense track with an aggressive rhythm, about the frenzy of life in general, mixing Canterbury bits with ELP-styled keyboards, featuring great bass lines from Jonas and ending with a weeping guitar solo. The Sun In My Eyes will really catch you by surprise... it can only be described as a tribute to the white suits and bellbottoms of the late seventies, prog disco if you can believe! This dance floor number is a deliciously funny diversion, signs of a tight group of musicians with a sense of humour and self-derision! It will certainly bring a smile to your face, and features funny lyrics about people who loved prog music in the disco days. A Place In The Queue is the dramatic epic of the album and begins with a grandiose sax intro, followed by beautiful, haunting guitar work by Mr. Manning. Sensational keyboards and guitars throughout, a very elaborate composition and a truly mesmerizing track.

The bonus disk features another 55 minutes of tracks that couldn't fit on the 79-min. main disk, some remixed versions, live material and spacy, ambient pieces, great stuff that makes this exceptional album even more worthwhile.

A Place In The Queue is a spectacular album, with amazing melodies, world-class musicianship, great lyrics, unbelievable variety, impeccable musical arrangements and some of the best keyboard work you can imagine, a wild prog trip! To say that I loved it is quite an understatement. This album definitely establishes Andy Tillson as one of the best keyboard player of our times, easily sharing this title with Dave Stewart, Keith Emerson and Jordan Rudess. A Place In The Queue is by far the most elaborate, well-crafted work of the Tangent, an album that will easily find its way among the top albums of 2006 without any doubt.

My rating for A Place In The Queue : 9/10(album reviewed by Robert Dansereau 02/02/2006)