Step Ahead ~ Step Ahead (album review) ... A forgotten dreamy prog rock classic!

Style: prog rock
Label: RCA
Home: Nice, France
Year: 1982

Members: Danny Brown ~ vocals, tambourine
Christian Robin ~ electric guitars
Gerald Macia ~ acoustic guitars
Claude Truchi ~ keyboards
Jean-Yves Dufournier ~ drums
Antoine Ferrera ~ bass

Additional: Claude-Marius David ~ flute
Thomas Quef ~ b. vocals
Genevieve Teuliere ~ cello

Step Ahead, 1980 - 1984, released only this album, but what a great album. If you're a prog rock fan than this is well worth hunting up. The Yes influence is very strong, with the Rick Wakeman-esque extended classical keyboard sequences, & guitar parts that recall Steve Howe with their single note soaring melodies moving into complicated mind bending rhythms. The difference is that it is two guitarists here. There is also the power & psychedelic realms of Emerson, Lake & Palmer, while one might also hear some of the lush moments of Pink Floyd getting a new interpretation. The music actually floats more like Pink Floyd, versus rumbling along like Yes, though it has the layers & genre defying sound of Yes' many ensembles. The listener will never know what is coming next. At one moment it might be cascading like ELP, the vocals here are a lot like Greg Lake, only to suddenly fall into a lush acoustic part or a cosmic keyboard melody or while electric guitar solo. Though, lush is a word that I would use to generally describe this album. Its lush, finely crafted, delicate, enchanting. Its dreamy in a way that Yes & the other prog bands have never really been. Its also not full of angst like Pink Floyd, or does it venture into the abstract territory of prog a la Gentle Giant. Its not out to bang you on the head with solos, but instead wrap you in a blanket & send you to sleep with an ever-changing array of dreams. So many colorful dreams! The balance between acoustic & electric guitar parts is a real highlight worth hearing. Its nothing like power metal where the acoustic takes the rhythm with the electric over it. This is more like trading parts & weaving off each other with very different textures. Absolutely stunning. Essentially, the complete range of mainstream prog-rock was brought together by Step Ahead. It is a shame they are not better remembered. Though, this album has been re-issued a couple times, as the minority who hear this likely can't forget it. Not to mention there's not a bad track here, nor a moment of filler. Just prog perfection.