Short Reviews [Clive Mitten - 2022 - "Tales From A Misspent Youth, Volume I"]

Back in the early Eighties, before marriage and children came along, I threw myself into the world of Jethro Tull, spending silly amounts of money on rare pressings, singles, and anything I could get my hands on. I also worked my way through bands other members have been in, and my dedication to one of these, Carmen, inadvertently started my writing career. So when I heard that David Palmer, who had orchestrated all of Tull’s albums, was working with the London Symphony Orchestra on what would be ‘A Classic Case’ I was intrigued. It was soon in my collection, as were his other albums on bands such as Genesis and Pink Floyd. Of course, the LSO had already been embarking on a series of albums such as ‘Classic Rock’, but there was something about David’s arrangements which were so much better (listen to “Fly By Night” for example). So why the back story? Well, here Clive Mitten has taken a similar approach to a host of prog rock classics, orchestrating and generally having fun with the results. Well over two hours in length, here we find Clive interpreting tracks by tracks by Pink Floyd, Genesis, Rush, Peter Gabriel, Jethro Tull, Mike Oldfield, and Supertramp. I am not going to give a track-by-track breakdown, or even list what is here, but any album which includes “Shine On You Crazy Diamond”, “Tubular Bells”, “Supper’s Ready”, and “Echoes” is going to get a proghead’s interest. Now, I am sure there are many fans out there who feel it is close to sacrilege to even attempt rearrangements of classic songs like these, but I am not one of those. I am rarely a fan of cover versions, for the simple fact that most bands seem to want to sound as close to the original as possible, and honestly what is the point of that? If you want to hear a great cover version then jump onto the web to find Alabama 3’s take on “Hotel California” where they move it is a much darker direction. By orchestrating these classics, Clive has gone down the same path as while he is sympathetic to the originals, he has added different elements which enhance the songs while taking nothing away from the original performances. The harps on ‘Supper’s Ready” is nothing short of inspired, while his use of harpsichord on different places on the album is so good that one must wonder why no-one thought of that in the first place. He has also added bits and pieces, sometimes nodding to other songs by the same band, to make this very much his piece of work. It is a homage, and undertaken with forethought and reverence, yet in some ways is still a direct continuation of his last album. This is indicated as Volume 1, so I am looking forward to more in the series. May I be as bold to ask for a Twelfth Night inclusion in the next one though? I would love to hear what could be done with “Take A Look”. Any progheads with an open mind should investigate this, as Clive has taken the originals and lifted them into a different place. He is not trying to replace what we all know and love, but rather has shown what can be done when in the hands of a craftsman who understands multiple musical forms.