Babylon

Babylon on iTunes
Florida is not normally a locale that one associates with prog-rock of any form, but in the late 70's, a fivesome under the moniker of Babylon defied the stereotype. Babylon's sole LP became with time a very sought-after collectors item and a much-appreciated minor classic of the progressive rock genre. The band's style is influenced by Happy the Man, Yes, and mostly Genesis. Singer Doroccas has the same theatrical emphasis one found in Peter Gabriel (and would later be emulated by Marillion's Fish and IQ's Peter Nicholls, among others). Songs are complex and keyboard driven, but virtuosity is not gratuitous and everything remains very melodious. Lyrics are fantasy influenced and full of literary and artistic references. Thanks to Greg Walker and the crew at Syn-Phonic the music has been remixed and remastered for the 1999 CD reissue: results are wonderful, the songs sound crisp and clear. The beautiful booklet includes photographs of the band's live shows. Any prog fan fond of Genesis' Selling England by the Pound would be well-advised to find a copy of Babylon.
1) “Mote In God's Eye” - Starting with mysterious synth noises and eerie percussion, this tale of Nazi war criminals caught red-handed wastes no time unfolding from a somber march to fiercely complex instrumental passages somewhat reminiscent of Genesis yet leaning more towards fusion in their intensity, numerous time changes and harmonic structures (even more noticeable in the succeeding tracks).
2) “Before The Fall” - Starts off low key with a melodious vocal section at times reminding me a bit of the best parts of Selling England--, but before long, the track takes a turn for the darker and spookier as eerie guitar and synth melodies wind around each other over fierce backing by the band. Rodney Best really shines here with his crisp Bill Bruford-esque drumming changing tempos and meters in the blink of an eye.
3) “Dreamfish” - This is where Doroccas has a field day, having to narrate this tale of fish-like creatures invading the human realm hell-bent of horrific revenge. One has to marvel at how Doroccas can keep up with the band's demented, twisted and difficult meter/time changes.
4) “Cathedral of The Mary Ruin” - Here's where the band pulls out all the stops and goes VERY over the top throwing in everything they can possibly think of in terms of unexpected rhythmic twists and dynamic changes and ending with a haunting keyboard figure fading out.
Clocking in at around 35 minutes, this disc moves along at a brisk pace and will definitely appeal to fans of fiercely complex symphonic prog with lots of drama, Genesis influenced yet not a clone. For keyboard fans there's tons of cool synth sounds and ARP strings (NO mellotron or Hammond Organ though). A tight rhythm section holds it together with Rodney Best's crisp Bruford-like complex drumming and Rick Leonard's solid authoritative bass.
What one might call a minor classic, grab it while you can.
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