Gary Boyle – Light Again: The Recordings 1977-1978 (2CD Edition)

Instrumental jazz fusion: I happen to love it. The rip-roaring showcase of technical musicianship, precision and blurring the lines between improvisation and structured composition. It’s all good stuff, especially when delivered through familiar warm, crisp, 70s-era timbres as it is here. And yet, I can’t help but feel that there’s an emotional depth that’s missing, due to the lack of lyrics or an overarching concept. It’s music for music’s sake, which is totally fine, but there’s a reason I don’t actively listen to this genre. Nevertheless, I’ll happily pick it up when given the chance to review it.

From the ashes of Isotope (which I’ll admit, I’ve only heard bits of), guitarist Gary Boyle was quick to secure himself a new recording deal, bringing keyboardist Zoë Kronberger with him and hiring a young (but highly potent) Simon Phillips on drums. Featuring a slew of other incredible musicians from Rod Argent to Dave MacRae, Boyle’s debut album The Dancer delivers on its promise of exciting, twisty jazz fusion.

The standout tracks are the opening Cowshed Shuffle, the epic title track and the mid-album sweet snack Almond Burfi. On the opener, Phillips performs a hypnotic eddying, ever-changing rhythm to accentuate the 6/8 time signature while Boyle and Rod Argent solo over the top. The Dancer is more structured, with contrasting sections but still has a loose feel to it. I particularly enjoy how each musician continually gets their time in the spotlight; at seven-and-a-half minutes, the track doesn’t outstay its welcome. Almond Burfi has faster-paced improvisation, but is improved by the presence of a minute-long coda that almost feels like a separate song. Chord stabs on the mini-moog during this outro really bring it to life.

Thankfully, Boyle and co. decided to bring all three of these songs when performing for John Peel, and their BBC Radio 1 recording can also be heard here. Almond Burfi is particularly brought to life, thanks to an even faster pace. Obscure performer Sergio Castillo does a cracking job of mimicking Phillips’s and Jeff Seopardie’s drum parts, and he’s joined in this performance by none other than Geoff Downes on keyboards. I’ll admit, I hadn’t expected to see the Yes and Buggles man in the fusion arena.

The rest of the album is still very tasty indeed, but Boyle takes the listener on more reserved outings, such as the name-appropriate Lullaby for a Sleepy Dormouse, calm and gentle but played in time signatures that will give you a headache if you start to think about them. Pendle Mist also takes the listener on a slow atmospheric ride after the excitement of Almond Burfi, but gives way to the pyrotechnics of Apple Crumble. This second sweet-themed track pairs Phillips with ex-Matching Mole player Dave MacRae as the latter performs a dizzying solo over the former’s blistering rhythm. It’s truly astonishing to think that Phillips was only 20 when he performed on this record.

Having been thoroughly satisfied by The Dancer, I had expected Boyle’s second album, released only fourteen months later, to be broadly more of the same. My hopes, however, were thoroughly dashed. It seems that while The Dancer was more of a continuation of the spirit of Isotope, perhaps using up some old leftover ideas, Electric Glide was much more of a Gary Boyle affair where he showcased himself in disparate styles.

The album starts out promisingly with the upbeat Snap Crackle, which is suitably jazz-rock but is already missing some of the flair and technicality from the last album. The frenetic Hayabusa appears to kick things into gear with Boyle and Gary Moore battling on the guitar over Phillips’ incredible breakneck (but ever so clean) beat. But things get more laid back on the title track, featuring an uncharacteristically simple 4/4 beat. This is not what I tuned in for.

Those three tracks are the only ones resembling anything on The Dancer; from here on, Boyle has shanghaied the listener into hearing his weird and often dull musical experiments. Nearly 10 of the album’s 36 minutes are dedicated to acoustic guitar duos with Kenny Shaw on Morning Father Joys and Brat No. 2. On Grumble, Boyle can barely be heard as bassist John Giblin messes around with Simon Phillips for two and a half pointless minutes. The remaining tracks, Gaz and It’s Almost Light Again, appear more promising, given their personnel, but feel slow and empty compared to what has come before; the group never quite gels and the precise musicianship of the past simply isn’t present.

Even though jazz fusion is not a passion of mine, I still felt thoroughly let down by Gary Boyle; his first album totally nailed the vibe check while the second was a spectacular miss. The liner notes by Sid Smith indicate that this album was a shift away from Eurocentric jazz-rock fusion towards something with more cross-over appeal. However, he makes a factual error by claiming that Electric Glide won the 1978 Montreux Jazz/Pop award, when that prize actually went to The Dancer. Perhaps Boyle succumbed to the same pressure that faced so many other progressive artists in the late 70s and dumbed down his music in order to be more accessible. In doing so, he alienated the very audience that had championed his music. What makes this set so striking is how drastic the shift is in such a short period of time.

TRACK LISTING
Disc One: The Dancer
01. Cowshed Shuffle (5:10)
02. The Dancer (7:28)
03. Now That We’re Alone (1:36)
04. Lullaby for a Sleepy Doormouse (For Georgie) (5:25)
05. Almond Burfi (5:02)
06. Pendle Mist (5:34)
07. Apple Crumble (3:20)
08. Maiden Voyage (For Brian Auger) (4:07)
~ Bonus tracks
(BBC Radio 1 John Peel session – August 22, 1977)
09. The Dancer (6:36)
10. Cowshed Shuffle (6:20)
11. Almond Burfi (4:13)

Time – 54:45

Disc Two: Electric Glide
01. Snap Crackle (5:18)
02. Hayabusa (3:58)
03. Electric Glide (4:04)
04. Morning Father Joys (5:06)
05. Gaz (6:40)
06. It’s Almost Light Again (4:17)
07. Grumble (2:35)
08. Brat No. 2 (4:27)

Time – 36:21

Total Time – 91:06

MUSICIANS
Gary Boyle – Guitar
Rod Argent – Keyboards
Simon Phillips – Drums
Doni Harvey – Bass
Zoë Kronberger – Keyboards
Robin Lumley – Keyboards
Dave MacCrae – Keyboards
Maggie Pert – Vocals
Morris Pert – Percussion
Jeff Seopardie – Drums
Steve Shone – Bass
Gary Moore – Guitar
Robert Awhai – Guitar
Richard Bailey – Drums
Phil Chen – Bass
John Giblin – Bass
Pete Jacobsen – Keyboards
Simon Morton – Percussion
Kenny Shaw – Guitar
~ With:
(CD 1: tracks 9-11)
Geoff Downes – Keyboards
Sergio Castillo – Drums

ADDITIONAL INFO
Record Label: Esoteric Recordings | Cherry Red Records
Catalogue#: ECLEC 22945
Country of Origin: UK
Date of Release: 24^th July 2026

LINKS
Gary Boyle – Cherry Red Records Release Info