Epic Forest

Following the departure of Graham Field, Rare Bird, now signed to Polydor, shifted musical focus to a very guitar-centric sound. Steve Gould switched to guitar and Andy "Ced" Curtis was recruited as a second guitarist, while Fred Kelly joined on drums and Paul Karas added bass and additional lead vocals. The lead-off track, "Baby Listen," immediately reveals the difference: its funky groove, driving bass and dual-lead guitars are quite a change from their previous work. But change can be good, especially with songwriting of this caliber. "Hey Man" and "Turning the Lights Out" reveal more of Rare Bird's exemplary vocal harmonies; while the title track "Epic Forest" is indeed epic—and features some tasty electric piano from Dave Kaffinetti. "Her Darkest Hour" and "Turn It All Around" are hauntingly beautiful acoustic numbers, though the latter includes an explosively heavy middle section to great effect. The dueling lead guitars (à la Wishbone Ash) and vocal harmonies are back in full force for the driving "Title No. 1 Again (Birdman)," another potent rocker. The UK pressing included a bonus three-song 7" with initial copies, again filled with more-than-album-worthy tracks. All in all, the new musical direction was welcome, though it didn't reflect on the charts. With various new members (including Nic Potter), Kaffinetti and Gould continued, releasing a few more albums until 1976. Unfortunately, these are of lesser interest to the progressive listener, as the promise of Epic Forest was lost. Kaffinetti would famously appear in This Is Spinal Tap, playing the part of drummer Viv Savage, while Gould would play bass in Alvin Lee's band. Ced Curtis would participate in The Long Hello, featuring ex-VdGG members.