ILLUSION : ENCHANTED CARESS

 

  1. Nights In Paris
  2. Walking Space
  3. The Man Who Loved The Trees
  4. Getting Into Love Again
  5. As Long As We're Together
  6. Slaughter On Tenth Avenue
  7. Living Above Your Head
  8. Crossed Lines
  9. You Are The One
  10. All The Falling Angels
  11. Roads To Freedom
  12. Face Of Yesterday

Label : Renaissance Records

Length : 46:39

Release Year : 1990 (remastered 2008)

Recording Date : 1979

Review (Wikipedia) : Enchanted Caress is de titel van het derde studioalbum van de Britse muziekgroep Illusion. Het succes was de band was al tanende door enerzijds de punkmuziek en anderzijds de discomuziek. Toch ging de band de studio in voor een derde album, maar Island Records liet de band vallen. Het album zou nooit voltooid worden. Pas in 1990 als punk en disco bijna geheel verdwenen zijn, komt het album uit met nummers in demostadium. Daarin klinkt de muziek veel minder zwaar symfonisch beladen, tevens zijn de tracks aanmerkelijk korter van tijdsduur. Track 6 is opgenomen als tussendoortje, Cronk en Fernandez zaten toen beide in Strawbs. Track 10 is de laatste track die Keith Relf opnam, voordat hij overleed en Illusion eigenlijk haar eerste samenstelling als band zag mislukken. Het album kwam na 1990 in diverse versies op de markt al dan niet met bonustracks ; de eerste versie verscheen op het Promised Land (platenlabel).

Review (Discogs) : Enchanted Caress is an album of unreleased demos recorded in 1979, as a preparation for a planned 3rd album of the band, that never saw the light of day. Included in this release are bonus tracks "Slaughter on 10th Avenue", with a different line-up to the classic Illusion group, and Keith Relf's last unreleased recording "All The Falling Angels".

Review (ProgArchives) : There is something about tastefulness, understatement, and civility that can take a sad situation and make it bearable, or a simple pop song and make it classy. While on the one hand it's hard to imagine that "Enchanted Caress" emanates from the masters of Illusion, it retains these essential traits that have more to do with personality than whatever music they happen to be playing. In fact, what is presented herein has more stylistically in common with early 1970s Fleetwood Mac thanks to a generally consistent if at times pedestrian rhythm section, subdued production, mix of male and female lead singers, and strong albeit muted melodies. Apart from the players, the prog credentials might come from the simple songs' ability to grow on the listener, from mere pleasant background to something to relax by, and there is a subtle difference. Taken as a mellow and very peripherally progressive album, this is pretty enjoyable. It's true that the schmaltzy "Getting into Love Again" and "As Long as We're Together" let things down a bit. But a few songs do stand out: "Nights in Paris" has an excellent verse even if the chorus is mindless repetition. Jane Relf's vocal work and John Hawken's colorful piano on the gorgeous "The Man Who Loved the Trees" do recall the prior two albums. "Slaughter on 10th avenue" is an instrumental showcasing John Knightsbridge's lead guitar. My favourite is "Crossed Lines", with its catchy chorus and strong beat enhanced by Hawken's playing. "You are the One" points to some of the Sally Oldfield work that would come later. While "All the Falling Angels" is decent, it is of value chiefly for historical reasons as it is left over from the early days and features Keith Relf and some mellotron work. An air of quiet resignation hangs over this album, and, given its time period, it's no wonder. This quality might only enhance its ability to caress listeners rather than force them to stand at attention. 2.5 stars rounded up.

Review (ProgArchives) : This was supposed to be Illusionīs third album, but it was not released until many years after they broke up. In fact, the band had high hopes on the american market (where their first LP Out Of The Mist was well received and sold well), but when the second one was not even released there, the writing was on the wall. The times were not for prog and the recording companies were not interested in that style of music anymore. I guess this might explain the kind of tracks we find here. They are even mellower, poppier and shorter than all their previous works. Aiming at the pop market maybe? Thatīs the only reason I can think of for such loss of quality. Also the band was breaking up so it was not expect a great cohesion at the final days. Not that the songs are bad, but I was expecting something closer to their two previous CDs and what we have here is basicly pop rock tunes, very 60īs influenced. Nice, ok, but very forgetable. Not one progressive note in the whole (short) record. The production does not help much either. I wonder if those tracks should ever be released. This is surely for hardcore fans, collectors and completionists only. And even those should listen before buying it.

Review (ProgArchives) : Enchanted Caress is a sympathetic album rather easy to listen. One can distinguish folkier, rock and progressive related elements. So, the songs are not really progressive. Some tracks are quite catchy and pleasant to listen: the airs are not meaningless at all. On the other hand, some tracks sound really common & deja vu, lacking a bit originality and uniqueness, like the music of Rita Coolidge, Anita Baker or any romantic-based lite music. Jane Relf's lead vocals are a bit more conventional than usual, although she gives a very good performance. The piano is no longer Baroque, despite it is still omnipresent: I find it more timid, maybe a bit more played in the background. There are some acoustic guitar arrangements. The male lead singer has a rather ordinary voice. I fell from the couch when I first heard "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue": in fact, it is a not terrific bold rock version: I prefer the colorful & progressive electronic version of Larry Fast's Synergy.