Paul
Raymond Project – ‘Terms and Conditions Apply’ album review
Released
on: Hear No Evil/Cherry Red Records. Release date: Available now.
Paul
Raymond has been in the music business for some time, getting his first big
break replacing Christine McVie (Then Christine Perfect) in Stan Webb’s
Chicken Shack blues band, before moving onto Savoy Brown.
Most rock
fans though typically associate the keyboardist/guitarist/vocalist with British
rock legends, UFO and to be honest, other associated UFO offshoot bands such as the
Michael Schenker Group and Pete Way’s Waysted.
Paul
became pretty much a fixture in UFO when he joined the band for their classic
‘Light’s Out’ album released in 1977, although he joined them in 1976.
He stayed with the band until the tail end of 1980, when jumped ship to join former UFO guitarist Michael Schenker, in M.S.G. with a lineup that included the late drumming legend Cozy Powell and he appeared on two M.S.G. albums.
He stayed with the band until the tail end of 1980, when jumped ship to join former UFO guitarist Michael Schenker, in M.S.G. with a lineup that included the late drumming legend Cozy Powell and he appeared on two M.S.G. albums.
This
lasted about two years before he hooked up with Pete Way in Waysted, recording
the album ‘Vices.’
He briefly
collaborated with Phil Mogg again, with the UFO album ‘Misdemeanor’ released in
’85, in ’89 his first Paul Raymond Project album got a Japan only release with
‘Under The Rising Sun.’
A full UFO
reunion took place resulting in the ’95 release of the excellent ‘Walk On
Water’ album but Paul Raymond’s participation in that didn’t last and in ’97
the Paul Raymond Project released ‘Raw Material.’
Raymond
contributed to the 1999 Mogg/Way release ‘Chocolate Box,’ as well as another
P.R.P. in ‘Man On A Mission’ was put out the same year, then 2000’s ‘Worlds
Apart’ was released by P.R.P.
This
release pulls in a couple of guest players one very important character being
Michael Schenker, although I personally think the track he features on is
sadly, quite disappointing, but we’ll get to that …
The basic
lineup on the album is Paul Raymond – lead vocals / lead and rhythm
guitars / keyboards, Andy Simmons – lead and rhythm guitars / keyboards, Mark
Coles – bass / backing vocals and Tony Steel – drums / backing vocals.
Opening
track, ‘Born and Raised On Rock ‘n’ Roll,’ you know actually reminds me a
little of Thunder, kind of Faces / Bad Company like too.
Good old rootsy R ‘n’ B grooving rocker, not too bad a start at all.
Good old rootsy R ‘n’ B grooving rocker, not too bad a start at all.
Next track
‘End of Life as We Know’ starts with a guitar led intro not unlike say Boston
meets Blue Oyster Cult, before getting into a more laid back chug along rocker.
A very harmony driven chorus indeed too which is really enjoyable, love the
guitar work on this too. Nice stuff!
Ha ha!
Paul, I think you have just ripped yourself off on the intro to ‘Deeper Shade
of Blue,’ which is akin to the intro of UFO’s ‘Cherry’ or even ‘Couldn’t Get It
Right’ but once the acoustic guitar plays it’s part alongside the electric, the
track gains its own identity. There’s something about the last couple of
minutes, where it becomes a little repetitive, but the song develops an almost
E.L.O. like sound to it.
‘C-List
Celebrity’ has a kind of punky vibe to it, but also an underlying UFO like feel
too for its mid-paced rocker grove.
The more
laid back piano driven ‘We Will Be Strong’ has an almost Queen like feel to it
throughout and it’s a nice track generally, even some strings become evident
around the final third of the song briefly. As the song goes for an epic like
finish, it just feels like the mix / production is lacking a little something.
The title
track ‘Terms and Conditions Apply,’ is truly a monster track even if only four
minutes long, it’s so strong and clearly the standout track of the album for
me. It’s brilliantly structured and performed; it really is so well presented
that I cannot say enough good about it and when I was first listening to it –
before re-reading the press release album details. – I thought Schenker was
playing the lead solo, it’s so sweet! Excellent track!
The
rockin’ instrumental ‘Whiskey Mac’ isn’t bad at all, but it has that P.R.P.
drum / cymbal sound that I’ve heard and really don’t like. I’m quite sure it’s
electronic and I hear it in other parts of the album too here and there.
If it
wasn’t for the drum sound I would love this track, but the false cymbal sound
kills it for me, sorry.
‘Bright
Lights’ next has the same drum / cymbal sound … Yuck! Don’t like it, I really
don’t.
I
generally like the song, that has a very Faces like feel to it and rocks at a
mid-pace, but sometime feels a little disjointed in presentation.
OK, to the
track that features Michael Schenker, the cover of the Four Tops ‘(Reach Out)
I’ll Be There’ and I’m sorry, I love what both Paul Raymond and Michael
Schenker have added to both UFO and M.S.G. in the past, but this track, this
version is really, really just … Horrible! There, I said it …!
I’m sorry,
but I really feel like saying ‘Did Michael hear this, before it was released
and he agreed to it?’
There is a
certain point about this album that until now I really haven’t mentioned, well
OK, I did on the track ‘We Will Be Strong’ and ‘Bright Lights.’
The
overall production of the album in some places, is really bad and I know I’m
not a producer and far from it but when you listen daily to a lot of music, new
and old for pretty much your whole life, you really do start to get a grip on
what is sounding good and what’s really not and sadly elements of this release, really
do not make it sound consistent.
I would
even go so far as to say, there’s possibly at least three or four different
producers / engineers behind this release.
What’s
sadder still is that there are without doubt some really good, even great songs
here, but they don’t come off as good as they could, without a good, solid name
producer involved. Huge shame …
Paul, I
wish you could get with someone and remix this … Please … :(
Next track
‘Love is Blind’ features another guest on the album, vocalist Reuben Archer
(Stampede, Wild Horses, Lautrec) and it’s simply a very laid back ballad and
that’s really about all there is to it.
Now the
next three tracks are identified as bonus tracks and I guess I’m not really
sure what that means here as the press release doesn’t say there’s a deluxe
copy or what so, hey, bonus tracks are a bonus right?!
‘Still The
Same’ comes first and it’s a steady kind of mid-paced rocker, not unlike from
the post Schenker period UFO.
Then comes
‘Drifting Apart’ which with its twangy guitar gives it an almost country like
groove, then it rocks a little more briefly to a more Faces like vibe. There’s
a nice little brief sax solo that merges into the guitar solo, both tastefully
done.
Closing
track here ‘Partners in Crime’ is a chug along type rocker to wrap the album
up.
So, to
summarize … I really wanted to like this album as I think what Paul adds to UFO
and has added to M.S.G. in the past has always been great and without doubt
makes his touch very important.
The Paul
Raymond Project though, for me just doesn’t seem to flow that well. There are
moments of brilliance though – The title track for sure. – and other good spots
too, but I think the production sadly lacks consistency and balance.
It really
does sound in places like some of this is dare I say, demo quality. Sorry, but I really feel it does ...
There’s no
doubting the playing of anyone on here and likewise on the vocals, all good but for
songs and final production it very much leaves me for sure, wanting more.
Rating: 3
out of 5
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