ONCE UPON A TIME.....Surveillance

 

FM  Surveillance  (Passport,1979) - Space/Prog rock

     For their third album, with violinist Ben Mink now fully integrated into the band, the Canadian trio left the sidelong instrumental suites explored on their second Direct to Disc, and went back to the shorter song format they started with on their debut Black Noise. As before, Cameron Hawkins plays synth, bass and sings lead, while drummer Martin Deller ties it all together. Even though the opener "Rocket Roll" is lyrically a bit on the dorky side, the three song suite that follows ("Orion / Horizons / Random Harvest") is probably among the best things FM ever recorded, each part segueing into the next beautifully, and the superb violin and electric mandolin solos on "Horizons" make it one of FM's most unforgettable tracks. Perhaps the band's best lyrics, dealing with life's end, are heard on "Father Time," and the powerful jazz-informed instrumental section for scat-vocal and violin that follows the refrain illustrates the compositional power of the trio at their very best. "Sofa Back" is a short but spirited instrumental full of difficult twists and turns that recalls Rush's "YYZ," even though Moving Pictures wouldn't appear for another couple years. The closer "Destruction" features another classic space-age sci-fi lyric and some powerful progressive moves, not unlike "Black Noise" from their debut. I would be remiss to not mention their cover of the Yardbirds' "Shapes of Things" that closed the first side of the original LP, and while I still prefer the original, this version certainly has its merits. For those who aren't yet familiar with FM, this is the one to start with.

TRACKLIST : Rocket Roll
                    Orion
                    Horizons
                    Random Harvest
                    Shapes Of Things
                    Seventh Heaven
                    Father Time
                    Sofa Back
                    Destruction

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