Savage Rose
Babylon - Polydor 1972
Tracks: 1. Messenger Speaks / 2. What Do You Do Now / 3. Ticket To Paradise / 4. Help The Lonely Child / 5. Stagolee's Victory / 6. Links In A Chain / 7. Shine / 8. When The Train Comes In
Comments:
Savage Rose's seventh album from 1972, does not sound much like anything the group had previously released. With strong roots in both rock and classical music, the group released during 1968-71 five great progressive rock albums marked by complex compositions, talented musicians and not least Annisette's personal and haunting vocals.
The sixth album "Triumph of Death" was music written for a ballet, where only one song, "Dear Little Mother", featured Annisette.
On the sequel "Babylon" Annisette is again allowed to demonstrate her potential over eight songs, on which both the blues and the gospel label could be attached. Whether you prefer Savage Rose's original style and regret the group's moving away from the pure rock music, is really a matter of taste. The album got some reviewer praise, but not much promotion, partly because of some of the texts political content and consequently did not reach a greater audience.
The songs which come closest to the group's early sound are probably the great blues ballad "What Do You Now" which features beautiful subdued saxophone played by Ben Webster, one of the last recordings he managed to take part in before his death in 1973, and "Help the Lonely Child ", which might sound a little like an outtake from the excellent album" Your Daily Gift" from 1971.
I won't keep it a secret that gospel is hardly a genre I am ever going to appreciate very much, and apart from the two mentioned tracks, this album is for me the least appealing of their first eight.
Nice that the group returned with another strong rock album, "Wild Child" in 1973. After this Anders Koppel left the group for a long period Savage Rose was to be considered as a duo consisting of composer and keyboard player Thomas Koppel and his wife Annisette on vocals.
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