OK, so let’s get the basic information out of the way first. Back in 1993 Pendragon released a compilation called ‘The Rest of Pendragon’, which was a way of bringing together songs which may have been a little more difficult for new fans to find. The first seven were taken from the ‘Saved By You’ and ‘Red Shoes’ EP’s and that is the same here. The difference between this and the earlier album is we then get the songs taken from other tidy up collections, 1994’s ‘Fallen Dreams and Angels’ and 1996’s ‘As Good As Gold’. I already have all these sat on my shelves, as well as plenty of Mob Mag magazines, and interviewed Nick a few times back then as well. Pendragon have changed styles over the years, even though their line-up has been incredibly static (okay, they have been through a few drummers in the last 15 years or so) with Nick and Peter there from the very beginning and Clive joining in 1986. I am not sure if I love the music on this album as it is just so brilliant or because I used to play these songs incessantly back in the day, but for whatever reason this is a sheer delight.
Playing “Red Shoes” on my headphones while at work was probably a mistake as I was transported back in time and once again was singing along and having a bop as it is just so highly infectious with wonderful underlying bass, hooks a plenty and so much damn fun! “Fun”, that must be the word for the album, as all these songs are old friends, with the result being I smiled all the way through this as it is one solid number after another. It never feels like a compilation of tracks which were mostly rare to get hold of, and in many ways is a perfect taster for those wondering what the earlier days were like. Pendragon have always been a band who look after their fans, with fan club only releases such as the excellent ‘The Very, Very Bootleg’ which is still one of my favourite live albums of theirs, and this is yet another fine example. Long-time fans such as myself will already have these songs but any excuse to go through them again is great, love the artwork, while those who have only come to the band since they became somewhat heavier will be in for a nice surprise. “Sister Bluebird” has always been a classic with its poignant vocals while the guitar introduction to “Midnight Running”, set against Clive’s wall of keyboards is sublime, and the shift into rock just takes it to a new level. Listening to this has made me think I need to put ‘The World’, ‘The Window of Life’ and ‘The Masquerade Overture’ back on heavy rotation. Awesome.
