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Red Jasper - A Midsummer Night's Dream

Artist:	Red Jasper
Title:	A Midsummer Night's Dream
Label:	SI Music Simply 35
Length(s):	48 minutes
Year(s) of release:	1993
Month of review:	06/1993

Line up

Davey Dodds - vocals, mandolin a.a.i.
Robin Harrison - guitars and backing
Dave Clifford - drums and backing
Jonathan Thornton - bass
Lloyd George - keyboards and backing

Tracks

1)	Sonnet I	4.31
2)	Virtual Reality	3.54
3)	Berkana	5.29
4)	Dreamscape (part I & II)	13.27
5)	Jean's Tune	4.17
6)	Invitation To A Dance	7.08
7)	Treasure Hunt	5.52
8)	Sonnet II	3.32

Summary

Most important members of the band are Davey Dodds and Robin Harrison, who write all the music and lyrics. To my knowledge they made one mini-album (Englands green and pleasant land?), and two CDs (Sting in the Tale and Action Replay). The mini-album is not that interesting for lovers of symphonic rock, because it contains some heavy rocking in the strictest sense of the word (meaning rock 'n' roll). Strangely enough the lyrics are very critical of the English society. The CD Sting sounds a lot like the mini, but shows more diversity and contains some interesting songs. Still the CD suffers from the fact that the ingredients: rock, progressive and a lot of folk, have not been very well dosed, so the CD is a bit inconsistent. It's not bad though. I don't know Action Replay, but this live-album is said to be very good and a lot more consistent than the studio work, but I can't say anything definite on that. Red Jasper is marked as being a mix of Jethro Tull (flute and folk influences) and Marillion (in the symphonic parts), so let's listen to their new CD more closely.

The music

After listening to it I can't really say I agree with that. The instruments, the singing and the overall sound of the album, makes RJ a lot more folky than the rockier Jethro Tull and I also have to admit that they don't really sound like Marillion: the folk is too important. The omnipresent electric and acoustice guitar playing reminds me at times of Mike Oldfield who is at home in this line of music as well, though RJ is a bit tougher and quicker. The songs are good, featuring more folky tunes, like Sonnet I and the traditional Invitation to a Dance (though even these have their symphonic interludes), the more up-tempo songs (Virtual Reality) and the 'there's something for everyone' songs (Dreamscape (part I & II), also the better song of the CD). Other references that might help you are the folky tunes on Aragon's CDs in the softer parts of the CD and on the quicker parts Internal Exile of main man Fish. The singing enhances the folky sound, because Dodds has a very low, yet melodic voice and actually sings like a medieval troubadour. Lyrically they have had the courage to take William Shakespeare on and have projected the contents of a Midsummer Night's Dream onto our present time.

Conclusion

Red Jasper have more or less left the straight rock path and are now a interesting cross-over between symphonic rock and folk, with some rough edges and at times subtle guitarwork.