I've no idea where I picked up this CD, a compilation of the solo work of drummer Bill Bruford, well known for his stints with Yes and King Crimson, but also a jobbing percussionist with Gong, Genesis and National Health, until he started a band to perform his own jazz and fusion compositions in the late 1970s.
It draws from albums as the group Bruford with keyboardist Dave Stewart, guitarist Allan Holdsworth and bassist Jeff Berlin, as well as a collaboration with former Yes keyboardist (though not a contemporary of Bruford) Patrick Moraz.
It's a solid summary of this period of Bruford's work, the best in my opinion coming from his first two albums with the band. From Feels Good To Me, there's If You Can't Stand The Heat and Beelzebub, both interesting jazz/rock tunes where (I think) Bruford plays some neat vibes, Holdsworth solos up and down the neck of his guitar, and Berlin's bass plays some fantastic riffs.
The second album One Of A Kind is the one featuring most prominently, almost two-thirds of this album featuring. It feels a little more rock oriented, more composed and less experimental, Fainting In Coils and The Sahara Of Snow (another killer Holdsworth guitar solo!) being the highlights.
This line-up's final album Gradually Going Tornado contributes four tracks, which in feel are somewhere between those from the earlier albums, though nothing is as immediate or catchy, and the song Gothic 17, with vocals by Berlin is awful! There's also a couple of tracks from the collaborations with Patrick Moraz, Living Space feels clunky, The Drum Also Waltzes is a drum/percussion solo (and I think I've made my feelings on drum solos known), while Split Seconds develops into a more lively and interesting piano piece.
Knowing the first album very well, I didn't find much new here to excite me, but there's enough on this album to make it worth a listen, and possibly even promote it from the drawer upstairs to the shelves! It's a shame none of the songs featuring Annette Peacock made the cut, they would have enhanced this compilation.
3* - a solid compilation, even if something of a mixed bag.
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