Cressida - Asylum (1971)

1971’s second Cressida album saw the band move more towards a darker, drawn out sound with the addition of strings and less orthodox vocal parts. Asylum is another unsung gem that sounds astonishingly good almost 40 years later.

Simply put, Asylum may be the best album to come out of that school of early British symph also comprised of the likes of Gracious!, Fantasy and Spring. This is very beautiful, melancholy and for the most part, mellow stuff. Asylum is atmospheric and morose, yet with a singularly British personality to it. You can literally taste and smell the colors of autumn while listening to it. "Munich" is a fabulous track, with some absolutely gorgeous orchestration that sounds like authentic strings to me, and not mellotron, though not credited as such. This kind of orchestration makes frequent appearances throughout the album, adding texture to some already beautiful songs. All the tracks are for the most part built around the very pleasant vocals, though there are moments when the band stretches out and engages in some intriguing interplay. The whole affair is awash with tasteful piano, softly pulsing bass and an occasionally biting and ferocious Hammond organ assault when the band builds up the intensity.
This is an album whose atmosphere will have a slow but sure effect on the listener, like most great prog albums, its full emotional potential should be slowly realized. Most of the tracks are short melodic ditties that definitely stick in your head, except for the aforementioned "Munich" which allows the band some free-reign jamming, and the epic centerpiece "Let Them Come When They Will" during which the band experiments with a number of dynamics and some phenomenal melodic themes over a 12-minute stretch. Overall, this is a flawless album of subtle beauty and understated grace. Definitely a classic. - Greg Northrup [2000]

Track List:

1. Asylum - 3:34
2. Munich (Munich 1938; Appeasment Was the Cry, Munich 1970; Mine to …) - 9:33
3. Goodbye Post Office Tower Goodbye - 2:50
4. Survivor - 1:34
5. Reprieved - 2:28
6. Lisa - 5:08
7. Summer Weekend of a Lifetime - 3:25
8. Let Them Come When They Will - 11:46

Musicians:

Ian Clark - Drums (later with Uriah Heep)
Angus Cullen - Vocals, Guitar
John Heyworth - Guitar
Peter Jennings - Keyboards
Kevin McCarthy - Bass
John Culley - Guitar
Harold McNair – Flute