Jade Warrior – a name that has cropped up many times in my exploration of 70s prog, but a path I’ve not had the courage nor motivation to travel down until now. By reputation, they’re a more psychedelic, experimental group with a fascination for non-Western instruments such as tablas and congas. I’ve been pretty sure that this isn’t my typical cuppa because it’s not what I associate with ‘prog’ (although I’m aware that’s subjective) and I was reminded distinctly of my brush with Quintessence. However, with this spanking new box set of the band’s first three albums just released, I felt it was time to give the group a long-overdue appraisal.
All three albums are very hodge-podge, but the self-titled debut is perhaps the most difficult to stomach due to the lack of a typical drummer. There’s also a distinct lack of direction that carries throughout the band’s early catalogue. Soothing instrumentals will be followed by experimental rock or blues or whatever the songwriters thought of that morning. I’m reminded heavily of Stackridge and their lack of predictability; in the case of Stackridge, however, this spontaneity worked because of the whimsical nature of the songs. With Jade Warrior, however, one gets the feeling that the group are taking these songs seriously to a faux-spiritual level, and I don’t get the same enjoyment.
There are times I really want to love the group, but I simply can’t. Telephone Girl has the makings of a great hard rock track but is hampered by the lack of a typical drum kit. In a way, that makes it one of Jade Warrior’s unique experiments, but it also has the feeling of trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. I will occasionally be into the vibe of bizarre but weirdly catchy songs like A Prenormal Day at Brighton, featuring flutes alongside grungy bass and distorted guitar. But then they will be followed by songs with a totally different vibe like the meandering and ultimately pointless Masai Morning. It was definitely a struggle to get through the debut.
For my money, the group’s second album is the most palatable but is still hampered by drawbacks. With the introduction of Allan Price on the drums, Released has more carefully crafted ‘songs’ but once again there is a sense of directionless as the band throw ideas at the wall to see what sticks. Although they seemed to embrace their experimental, non-accessible nature, Jon Field admits in the liner notes that they were trying to write a ‘hit song’, and honestly who can blame them?
This has the unfortunate result of weirdly simple songs coming in the middle of a complex, experimental affair. For example, Water Curtain Cave could be deemed a masterpiece, with a jazz-inflected matching intro and outro sections bookending a tacet freeform section. The way Price plays the ride cymbal for the full shimmering effect is rather reminiscent of a waterfall. Beautiful stuff. Then, two songs later, the band play a bog-standard rock and roll tune, completely at odds with the beautiful vibes from earlier. While Stackridge could play this off as ‘just what we do’ (since they do it with such panache), Jade Warrior’s rather unfinished and unpolished approach to their records makes such basic excursions feel like filler to pad out the time.
The highlight of the set is nerdily titled, fifteen-minute instrumental Barazinbar; I cringed when I looked this up to find out it was the name of a mountain from Lord of the Rings. Somehow I’m okay with Camel’s The White Rider but I found it difficult to stomach the Tolkien association with Jade Warrior; it must be because Camel are a far greater band. But before I knew about this association, this particular track came to me in one of the most unexpectedly magical ways. I was on a long bus journey home that was delayed by hours. I had put on the Jade Warrior box set to listen to towards the end of that journey. I was woken by the creeping sound of the main theme and noticed that the bus had just pulled in. Because I had only just woken up, I didn’t know how much of the song had already played but it felt like it had been playing for a while. As I began to walk home through the darkened streets, I pulled out my phone to see how much of the track was left only to find I was less than a third of the way through the song. I was pretty astonished but found the repetitive nature of this pleasant instrumental to be a good companion which lasted right up until I reached the front door. It’s hardly the most amazing prog instrumental I’ve ever heard, but it’s certainly nice to have some consistency on a Jade Warrior record for an extended period.
By comparison, Last Autumn’s Dream is a letdown. There are no extended tracks here, just more experiments. The first of these, A Winter’s Tale, has rather cringeworthy chorus lyrics: “Yes it’s so good, smelling that pine-wood, burning like wood should…” The following track, Snake is worthwhile for the brutal bass riff that belongs somewhere on a hard metal album. Of course, there are hardly any other instruments to support it. Dark River is another meandering six-minute waste of time. The highlight of the album is the closing track that also acts as the title of the box set, the regrettably brief instrumental Borne on the Solar Wind. Tastefully composed with string backing, this repetitive track comes into its own with the introduction of Price’s drums about one minute in.
Steve Pilkington’s essay makes for another delightful read and opinions from Jon Field give more context and weight to the songs on the set, as well as explain why Last Autumn’s Dream was the last of the albums Jade Warrior released on the Vertigo label. Once again, I haven’t seen the physical package but I wouldn’t get my hopes up that Esoteric properly restored Released’s original artwork; the original vinyl had a dazzling sleeve that opened up to six panels forming a gigantic 24” × 36” poster. The booklet features most of that artwork but it is unfortunately cropped in two halves so you don’t quite get the full effect. It’s also a shame that Esoteric has done away with the bonus tracks that were present on their single CD versions of Jade Warrior and Released, but perhaps the idea is to not cause fans who bought those editions to feel bad that they didn’t wait for the box set. I’m not sure why I’m making excuses for them…
This set confirmed that I am not likely to be a Jade Warrior fan any time soon but I was impressed by just how ‘out there’ the group was, with an ability to compose songs that sounded completely different to each other and occasionally like nothing I had heard before. I just reckon that a little refinement and focus on a certain direction could have gone a long way. But it’s a testament to just how open-minded record labels and audiences were in the early 1970s that Jade Warrior were allowed to record such wildly experimental material and still become as successful as they did.
TRACK LISTING
CD1: Jade Warrior (1971)
01. The Traveller (2:40)
02. A Prenormal Day at Brighton (2:43)
03. Masai Morning (6:42)
04. Windweaver (3:45)
05. Dragonfly Day (7:47)
06. Petunia (4:49)
07. Telephone Girl (4:53)
08. Psychiatric Sergeant (3:06)
09. Slow Ride (2:33)
10. Sundial Song (5:11)
Time – 44:04
TRACK LISTING
CD2: Released (1971)
01. Three-Horned Dragon King (6:11)
02. Eyes on You (3:09)
03. Bride of Summer (3:23)
04. Water Curtain Cave (6:28)
05. Minnamoto’s Dream (5:25)
06. We Have Reason to Believe (3:53)
07. Barazinbar (14:54)
08. Yellow Eyes (2:55)
Time – 46:15
TRACK LISTING
CD3: Last Autumn’s Dream (1972)
01. A Winter’s Tale (5:12)
02. Snake (2:57)
03. Dark River (6:30)
04. Joanne (2:50)
05. Obedience (3:19)
06. Morning Hymn (3:36)
07. May Queen (5:25)
08. The Demon Trucker (2:36)
09. Lady of the Lake (3:19)
10. Borne on the Solar Wind (3:02)
Time – 38:40
Total Time – 128:57
MUSICIANS
Tony Duhig – Guitar
Jon Field – Percussion, Flute
Glyn Havard – Bass, Vocals
Allan Price – Drums (CD 2 & 3)
Dave Connors – Tenor & Alto Sax, Flute (CD 2)
~ With:
David Duhig – Guitar (CD2: 8)
ADDITIONAL INFO
Record Label: Cherry Red Records | Esoteric Recordings
Catalogue#: ECLEC 32876
Country of Origin: U.K.
Date of Release: 12th July 2024
LINKS
Jade Warrior – Website | Facebook | Info at Cherry Red Records