Moroccan Roll
	Produced by Dennis (Face-Blaster) Mackay in association with Brand X
	Released on April 1977
	UK CHART POSITION #37 . . . US CHART POSITION #125
	Find it at GEMM
PB 9822 cover [high resolution photo]

A n Eastern shift where John Goodsall plays the sitar and the band’s sere and sinewy sound is interrupted by islands of calm collapsar and furious virgens. Moroccan Roll is more agitated than Soft Machine at this stage, less than Bruford, left of Weather Report. Twice it settles into smokeclouds that would’ve made Mike Ratledge smile: “Disco Suicide” and “Malaga Virgen.” Phil (why aren’t I working on a solo album?) Collins sings on this one, sort of. No words, but “Maybe I’ll Lend You Mine After All” could be seen as a harbinger of “Droned.” I’m rating this one right up with Unorthodox Behaviour now because the band meshes so well together. Jones’ fretless bass is still the most spicy element, Morris Pert’s (welcome aboard) percussion the most exotic. (His touches to “Malaga Virgen” make her what she is.) Compositionally, Goodsall’s three tracks are the strongest. The space funk fusion of “Hate Zone” is a highlight; “Macrocosm” and especially “Sun in the Night” carry the Eastern vibe from end to end. Moroccan Roll is the driest of the early studio albums, but if you own Unorthodox Behaviour and Masques (and why wouldn’t you?), this is moradasame. A true desert of the senses, noting that to the trained eye there are lots of things to see in the desert. Since that doesn’t exactly describe this album, I’ll add “bruford in baghdad” and be done with it. There’s also a review of this at All Music Guide.

PB 9822 back cover

TRACK LISTING

1. SUN IN THE NIGHT    (John Goodsall)    4:23
2. WHY SHOULD I LEND YOU MINE (WHEN YOU'VE BROKEN YOURS OFF ALREADY)    (Phil Collins)    11:19
3. ...MAYBE I'LL LEND YOU MINE AFTER ALL    (Phil Collins)    2:09
4. HATE ZONE    (John Goodsall)    4:41
5. COLLAPSAR    (Robin Lumley)    1:34
6. DISCO SUICIDE    (Robin Lumley)    7:55
7. ORBITS    (Percy Jones)    1:35
8. MALAGA VIRGEN    (Percy Jones)    8:27
9. MACROCOSM    (John Goodsall)    7:23

CREDITS

PHIL COLLINS -- drums, lead vocals, acoustic piano, frequency eater
JOHN GOODSALL -- Fender Stratocaster electric guitar, acoustic guitar, Zone boxes, space echo, sitar, backing vocals, voltage-controlled aluminum bidet
PERCY JONES -- Fender bass, Amos effects boxes, autoharp, marimba
ROBIN LUMLEY -- Fender Rhodes electric piano, acoustic piano, autoharp, mini-moog synthesiser, ARP Odyssey synthesiser, Roland string synthesiser, backing vocals, clavinet, Pulsar processor, space echo
MORRIS PERT -- percussion and a vast number of bits and things that he hit while the tape was running, including: the Q.E. 2, Idi Amin, and undiscovered parts of Scotland
Perdurabo Stephen W. Tayler -- engineer
Hipgnosis/Hardie -- sleeve design
Hipgnosis -- cover photograph
Rob Brimson -- group photographs

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