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Gandalf - To Our Children's Children

Artist:	Gandalf
Title:	To Our Children's Children
Label:	SI Music Simply 66
Length(s):	60 minutes
Year(s) of release:	1994
Month of review:	11/1994

Line up

Gandalf - guitars, mellotron, keyboars, percussion and some more
Tracy Hitchings - vocals
Erich Buchebner - bass
Peter Rosmanith - percussion

Tracks

1)	What Are We Bound For	7.14
2)	Creatures Of God	3.50
3)	To Our Children's Children	6.22
4)	The Machine	10.43
5)	World On The Scales	4.22
6)	There's A Fire	10.39
7)	The Call Of Nature	5.31
8)	Aquarius (vocal Version)	5.23
9)	Evening Glow	5.59

Summary

It's supposed to be so that Gandalf alternates New Age with symphonic CDs and because the former was New Age, this one should contain symphonic rock. Sorry to say I haven't heard the recent albums by this Austrian so I can only compare to his older work (up to 1990).

The music

The album I am now listening to has some vague echoes of IMO his best work and one of the best synthesizer based albums ever to be recorded (From Source to Sea in 1988), because it is undoubtedly Gandalf I hear here, but with a difference. First notable difference is that Tracy Hitchings takes care of vocals (vocals? Yes vocals (they can also be found on Gallery of Dreams, but I'm not familiar with that album)). Singing usually means lyrics (although not on some of the older albums featuring Galadriel) and yes, the lyrics are of the environmental type that was to be expected. Personally I am always rather saddened by this type of lyrics because the contents are always so terribly evident. What I want to hear in lyrics are the goings on in peoples minds under the surface and not the spilling of environmental platitudes. I can hardly imagine anyone needing these lyrics and if they haven't picked it up by now, they probably never will.

What about the music then on this album, because that's at least as important as the lyrics. Right? Well, although one might expect an artist with a large label to go commercial, it's hardly to be expected when he has started for himself. The melody lines are as always obvious and admittedly beautiful, but the vocals they make it sound just a bit too accessible for my tastes and the instrumentals lack the excitement of his earlier work. For instance the long track There's a Fire is far too melodic for my taste and has a high "wave you're arms in the air" level and is almost easy listening with faint echoes (but not faint enough) of Kenny G, though the song has it's worthwhile moments. Aquarius (obvious Vangelis sounds) and What Are We Bound For also suffer from this deficit. Instrumentals like Evening Glow and World on Scales are hardly noticed.

Conclusion

The album isn't all that bad, but I guess I'm just a little spoilt by all his earlier work. One of the better songs on the albums is Call of Nature also to be found on the SI compilation disc One and here we hear the real Gandalf how I fondly remember him (even here not as good as on FSTS or More than just a Seagull or his orchestral album). I mean, agreed, he's allowed to try anything at least once and if I were in his place I wouldn't want anyone telling ME what to do in music, but me, I rather put From Source to Sea back on and dream away in its melodic meanderings.