Together

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Together represents an important step forward for Golden Earring. Unlike the group's previous outings, the songs on this album don't fall into strict rock or progressive categories. Instead, the group blurs these strict lines and weaves elements of each genre into a distinctive style that gives the songs their unique flavor. For instance, "Brother Wind" has the complex arrangement and length of a prog rock epic, but it moves forward with the energy and powerful riffing of a hard rock song. The group also makes a concerted effort to give each song a tight arrangement and usually more than one catchy hook. The result is the band's first truly consistent album. Driving rockers abound on Together: "Avalanche of Love" is driven by a procession of gutsy riffs that live up to the song's title, and "Buddy Joe" is a surging, dramatic adventure tale built on a singalong chorus and an insidiously catchy Indian-style guitar riff (this rousing tune has remained a popular part of the band's live set list). "Jangalene" is another highlight, a cleverly arranged tune that starts out as an acoustic blues but flowers into a full-throttle rocker midway through. The downside of Together is that, while the songs are all solid and the arrangements stay interesting, it is slightly less adventurous than previous albums. As a result, its songs never quite hit the manic highs of past classics like "Big Tree, Blue Sea" or "She Flies on Strange Wings." Despite that minor quibble, Together remains an impressive album and clearly shows off the chops and songwriting skills that would bring the group a massive worldwide success the next year with Moontan.

© Donald A. Guarisco /TiVo