Bedside Manners Are Extra

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Aside from a few minor differences, 1973's Bedside Manners Are Extra is equivalent to Greenslade's debut album, inundated with the same dazzling synthesizer work and atmospheric guitar implementations from Tony Reeves. Andrew McCulloch's drumming is a little more effective the whole album through, balancing out Dave Greenslade's keyboards and Dave Lawson's singing. The songs alternate from vocal to instrumental, beginning with the beautifully lush title track that exploits the ease in which Greenslade applies his techniques. "Pilgrims Progress" picks up the pace, with McCulloch and Greenslade wonderfully playing off one another. The eight and a half minutes of "Drum Folk" really opens things up, with the synthesizer switching to different tempos and brilliancies while McCulloch gets some well-deserved solo time. "Sunkissed You're Not" is the best display of Dave Lawson's vocals of the three, taking on a jazzy feel during the more fervent portions of the song. While the three lyrical tracks might not be as fantastical as Roger Dean's album cover may lead one to believe, the music that surrounds them certainly is, while the instrumentals exhibit a wide range of genres, from jazz fusion to hints of blues to progressive rock. Bedside Manners has Greenslade showing off their musical range to a greater extent than on their first album, but the band's progressive mien is just as sound.
© Mike DeGagne /TiVo